Living Environment Regents Review (Topic 5)

evolution

the process by which different kinds of living organisms are thought to have developed and diversified from earlier forms during the history of the earth

natural selection

a natural process resulting in the evolution of organisms best adapted to the environment

overproduction

more offspring are produced than can survive

competition

the fight for limited resources

variation

differences among organisms in a species (sexually reproducing organisms have more variation than asexually reproducing organisms)

adaptive value

any trait that helps an organism survive and reproduce under a given set of environmental conditions

extinction

the disappearance of an entire species cause by failure to adapt to a changing environment

ancestry

cladograms or family tree