Unit 6 Vocabulary

Extinction

when no members of a species are alive anymore

Population

group of the same species or organisms in an area

Competitive Advantage

traits and behaviors that allow an organism to outperform competitors (food, water, space)

Natural Selection

organisms with traits better suited to their environment are more likely to survive

Adaptation

how species change over time in response to changes in the environment

Fossil

the remains of a prehistoric organism in a rock

Abiotic

not living

Biotic

living

Species

a group of living organisms consisting of similar individuals

Heritable

inherited genetically

Fossil Record

the total number of fossils that have been discovered as well as the information that can be determined from them It provides evidence of past life forms, showing how species have changed over time.

Homologous Structures

structures that look the same but have different functions

Line of Descendants

sequence of individuals related by blood, tracing ancestry from a common ancestor

Trait Variation

differences within a trait

Trait

a characteristic or feature within a certain species of an organism

Ancient Population

a group of humans or ancestral animals living together before 500 AD

Population Distribution

pattern of where people live across a specific area

Mutation

any small change that happens to the structure of a chromosome

Diversity

the presence of differences within ecosystems and organisms in nature

Embryo

the earliest development stage of a multicellular organism

Embryological Development

the process by which a fertilized egg progressively divides, differentiates, and morphs into a multicellular organism

Anatomical Structures

a specific physical part of an organism such as a cell, tissue, organ, or bone

Common Ancestry

any ancestral organism or species from which two or more different lineages or species descend