Adaptation and Variation

Flashcards covering key vocabulary terms related to adaptation, variation, and evolution.

Extinct

A species that has completely disappeared from Earth.

Adaptation

A structure, behaviour, or physiological process that helps an organism survive and reproduce in a particular environment.

Mimicry

A structural adaptation in which a harmless species resembles a harmful species in colour patterns or composition.

Variation

Differences between individuals, which may be structural, functional, or physiological.

Mutation

A permanent change in the genetic material of an organism; the only source of new genetic variation.

Selective Advantage

A genetic advantage that improves an organism's chance of survival, usually in a changing environment.

Population

A group of individuals of the same species living in a specific area at a specific time.

Evolution

How species gradually change over time as certain traits become more or less common, often because they help organisms survive and reproduce better.

Charles Darwin

A British Scientist who developed the theory of evolution by natural selection.

Microevolution

Genetic changes that occur over a small number of generations; it is also called evolution within a species.

Macroevolution

Genetic change on a large scale that takes centuries or millennia; also known as evolution between species.

Theory of Evolution

An explanation that brings together evidence from many sources, supported by evidence but never proven.