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38 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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What is a species? |
A species is a group of similar organisms that can mate with each other and produce fertile offspring. |
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What is a fossil? |
A fossil is the preserved remains or traces of an organism that lived in the past. |
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What is an adaptation? |
An adaptation is a trait that helps an organism survive and reproduce in its environment. |
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What is evolution? |
Evolution is the gradual change in a species over time. |
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What is a scientific theory? |
A scientific theory is a well-tested concept that explains a wide range of observations. |
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What is natural selection? |
Natural selection is when individuals that are better adapted to their environment are more likely to survive and reproduce than other members of the same species. Truly, the survival of the fittest. |
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What is a genetic variation? |
A genetic variation is a difference between individuals of the same species. |
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What is comparative anatomy? |
Comparative anatomy is the comparison of the structures of different organisms. |
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What are homologous structures? |
Homologous structures are similar structures that related species have inherited from a common ancestor. |
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What is a mold? |
A mold is a hollow area in the shape of an organism or part of an organism. |
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What are casts? |
Casts are a solid copy of an organism. |
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What are petrified fossils? |
Petrified fossils are fossils in which minerals replace all or part of an organism. |
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What are trace fossils? |
Trace fossils provide evidence of the activities of ancient organisms. |
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What is gradualism? |
Gradualism is the theory that evolution is slowly but surely, always happening. |
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What is the hypothesis of punctuated equilibria? |
The hypothesis that accounts for the gaps in the fossil record, that species evolve rapidly in a short period of time. |
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What is an animal's habitat? |
A habitat is the specific environment that provides the things the organism needs to live, grow, and reproduce. |
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What can isolation between two groups of individuals cause? |
Isolation between two groups of individuals can cause a new species to form. |
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What is extinction caused from? |
Extinction is caused from a change in a species' environment. The members of the species may not have adaptations that allow them to survive and reproduce in the changed environment. |
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The principle of uniformitarianism states that ________________. |
the same natural laws that governed the earth millenia ago still apply now |
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Unlike absolute age, the relative age of a rock indicates only _________________. |
how old the rock is in comparison to other rocks |
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Radioactive decay is the process in which ____________. |
Unstable elements break down and decay |
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The theory of plate tectonics states that __________________. |
Earth's plates move slowly in various directions |
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What is the geologic time scale? |
a record of the life forms and geologic events in Earth's history |
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What were the 3 eras? |
The Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic, in that order. There was also the Precambrian, which was before the Paleozoic. |
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What were the periods in the Paleozoic Era? |
the Cambrian, Ordovician, Silurian, Devonian, Carboniferous, and the Permian periods |
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What were the periods in the Mesozoic Era? |
The Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous periods |
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What were the periods in the Cenozoic Era? |
The Tertiary and Quaternary periods |
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During the Devonian period, what animals began to evolve? |
Vertebrates began to come onto land. Amphibians evolved during this period. |
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What ended the Paleozoic Era? |
A mass extinction known as the Permian Extinction |
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What was Pangaea? |
a supercontinent |
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When was the "Age of Reptiles"? |
during the Mesozoic Era |
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What caused the end of the Mesozoic Era? |
the K-T extinction, which was likely caused by an asteroid, and caused another mass extinction |
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What was the Earth's climate like in the Quaternary period? |
Very cold, Ice Ages |
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What is taxonomy? |
Taxonomy is the study of animal classification |
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What is binomial nomenclature? |
a two-part scientific name |
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What is a genus? |
a classification grouping that contains similar, closely related organisms |
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What is the difference between a prokaryote and a eukaryote? |
Prokaryotes do not have a nucleus |
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When did humans evolve? |
in the Quaternary period |
