Natural Selection (Fill in the Blank)

natural selection

Reproduction

__is the process of passing traits from parent to offspring over time, leading to evolutionary change

Population

A __ is a group of organisms of the same species living in a specific area

Selective Pressure

__refers to any environmental factor that influences survival or reproduction

Extinction

__occurs when no members of a species remain alive

Directional Selection

__favors individuals with traits at one extreme of the trait distribution

Derived Characteristic

A __ is a trait that is unique to a particular lineage and can be used in cladistics

Carrying Capacity

The max number of individuals an environment can support is called its __

Sexual Selection

__is selection based on traits that increase mating success

Outgroup

In a cladogram, the __ is the group used as a reference that diverged before the group of interest

Taxonomy

__is the branch of science concerned with classification, especially of organisms

Binomial Nomenclature

In __, each species is given a two-part scientific name

Variation

The term __ refers to genetic differences among individuals in a population

Descent with Modification

__means that all living organisms are related through a shared ancestry and have changed or been modified over time