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17 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Chapter 7/8 Vocabulary: Evolution & History of Life
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Chapter 7/8 Vocabulary: Evolution & History of Life |
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Word
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Definition
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Adaptation
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A charactertistic that improves an individual's ability to survive and reproduce in a particular environment
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Species
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A group of organisms that are closely related and can mate to produce offspring.
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Evolution
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The process in which inherited characteristics within a population change over generations such that new species arise.
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Fossil
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The trace of an organism that lived long ago, most commonly preserved in sedimentary rock.
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Fossil Record
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A historical sequence of life indicated by fossils found in layers of Earth's crust.
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Trait
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A genetically determined characteristic
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Selective Breeding
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The human practice of breeding animals or plants with certain desired traits.
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Natural Selection
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The process by which individuals that are better adapted survive and reproduce more successfully than those who are less adapted; a thyeory to expalin the mechanism of evolution.
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Generation Time
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The period between the birth of one generation and the next generation.
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Speciation
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The formation of a new species as a result of evolution.
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Relative Dating
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Estimating the age of rocks and fossils.
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Absolute Dating
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A method that measures the age of fossils or rocks in years.
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Geologic Time Scale
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The calendar scientists use to outline the history of life on Earth.
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Extinct
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When a species completely dies out and cannot reappear.
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Plate Tectonics
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Wilson's Theory of how huge pieces of crust move around the Earth.
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