Campos Darwinism, Natural Selection, and Evidence of Evolution

evolution

the process by which species accumulate differences from their ancestors as they adapt to different environments over time

paleontology

the study of fossils

strata

sedimentary rock layers

adaptations

inherited characteristics that enhance an organisms survival and reproduction in specific environments

natural selection

a process in which individuals that have certain inherited traits tend to survive and reproduce at higher rates than other individuals because of those traits

fitness

Ability of an organism to survive and reproduce in its environment

homologous structures

anatomical resemblances that represent variations on a structural theme present in a common ancestor

vestigial structures

remnants of features that served a function in the organisms ancestors

convergent evolution

Process by which unrelated organisms independently evolve similarities when adapting to similar environments

analogous

similar

Biogeography

the scientific study of the geographic distribution of species, provides evidence of evolution

population

group of individuals of the same species that live in the same area and interbreed

gene pool

all the genes present in a population

gene frequency

number of times an allele occurs in a gene pool compared to the total number of alleles in that pool