Biological Evolution Vocabulary

These flashcards cover key vocabulary related to biological evolution, including definitions necessary for understanding the concepts presented in the lecture.

adaptive trait

A trait that makes it more likely that an individual will survive in a specific environment.

ancestor

A related organism from a previous generation.

descendant species

A more recent species that evolved from an ancestor.

evolution

The process by which species adapt to environmental changes over a long period of time.

extinct

An entire species that has died out completely.

fossil

Evidence of life from the past, such as bones, footprints, or leaf prints.

generation

A group of individuals born and living at about the same time.

histogram

A graph that uses bars to show how characteristics are distributed within a group.

natural selection

The process in which the distribution of traits within a population changes over many generations.

organisms

A living thing (plants, animals, bacteria, fungi, protists).

population

A group of the same type (species) of organisms living in the same area.

common ancestor

An older population from which one or two newer species descended.

speciation

The process by which one population evolves into two or more different species.

species

A group of organisms of the same kind that can reproduce with one another.