Bio Vocab Chapter 10

Front 1

Evolution

Back 1

Saffie says evolution in biology is the process of change by which new species develop from preexisting species over time; at the genetic level, the process in which inherited characteristics within populations change over time

Front 2

Species

Back 2

Saffie says a species is a group of organisms that are closely related and can mate to produce fertile offspring

Front 3

Fossil

Back 3

Saffie says a fossil is a trace or remains of an organism that lived long ago, most commonly preserved in sedimentary rock

Front 4

Catastrophism

Back 4

Saffie says catastrophism is the theory that states that natural disasters such as floods and volcanic eruptions shaped Earth's landforms and caused exctinctions of some species

Front 5

Gradualism

Back 5

Saffie says gradualism is a model of evolution in which gradual change over a long period of time leads to biological diversity

Front 6

Uniformitarianism

Back 6

Saffie says uniformitarianism is a theory that states that the geologic processes that shape Earth are uniform through time.

Front 7

Variation

Back 7

Saffie says that variation is differences in physical traits of an individual from the group to which it belongs.

Front 8

Adaptation

Back 8

Saffie says adaptation is the process of becoming adapted to an environment; an anatomical, physiological, or behavioral change that improves a population's ability to survive

Front 9

Artificial Selection

Back 9

Saffie says artificial selection is the human practice of breeding animals or plants that have certain desired traits

Front 10

Heritability

Back 10

Saffie says heritability is the ability of a trait to be passed from one generation to the next

Front 11

Natural Selection

Back 11

Saffie says natural selection is the process by which individuals that are better adapted to their environment survive and reproduce more successfully than less well adapted individuals do; a theory to explain the mechanism of evolution

Front 12

Population

Back 12

Saffie says a population is a group of organisms of the same species that live in a specific geographical area

Front 13

Fitness

Back 13

Saffie says fitness is the measure of an organism's ability to survive and produce offspring relative to other members of a population

Front 14

Biogeography

Back 14

Saffie says biogeography is the study of the geographical distribution of living organisms and fossils on Earth

Front 15

Homologous Structure

Back 15

Saffie says a homologous structure is a body part that is similar in structure on different organism but performs different functions

Front 16

Analogous Structure

Back 16

Saffie says an analogous structure is a body part that is similar in funtion as a body part of another organism but is structurally different

Front 17

Vestigial Structure

Back 17

Saffie says a vestigial structure is the remnants of an organ or structure that funtioned in an earlier ancestor

Front 18

Paleontology

Back 18

Saffie says paleontology is the study of fossils or extinct organisms