Evolutionary Concepts Review

Vocabulary flashcards covering core evolutionary concepts including variation, isolation, adaptation, fossils, and common ancestry based on lecture examples.

Variation

The presence of different physical traits within a group, such as birds having long or short beak shapes to eat different types of food.

Isolation

The separation of populations, such as insects divided by a newly formed river, so that the groups cannot easily breed together.

Adaptation

The occurrence of helpful traits in organisms that improve their chances of survival in their environment.

Fossils

Remains of organisms from the past that provide evidence for evolution.

Common Ancestor

An ancestral organism shared by different species, supported by structural evidence such as human arms, bat wings, and whale flippers having a similar basic bone arrangement despite performing different functions.