Evolution and Natural Selection

Front

What is natural selection?

Back

The process by which organisms better adapted to their environment tend to survive and produce more offspring.

Front

What is a vestigial structure?

Back

A structure that has lost its function but is still part of the organism.

Front

What is one of Charles Darwin’s theories about evolution and natural selection?

Back

New species that appear in the fossil record are actually descendants of older species.

Front

How did Darwin's finches help support his theory of evolution?

Back

The size and shape of their beaks varied due to the different environments they lived.

Front

Which of the following is evidence of a common ancestor?

Back

All of these (Vestigial structures, Fossil record, Similarities in the embryo).

Front

What is evolution?

Back

The change in the heritable characteristics of biological populations over successive generations.

Front

What is adaptation?

Back

A trait that helps an organism survive and reproduce in its environment.

Front

What is a common ancestor?

Back

An ancestral species from which multiple species have evolved.

Front

What is the fossil record?

Back

The history of life as documented by fossils, showing the progression of species over time.

Front

What is genetic variation?

Back

Differences in DNA among individuals within a population.