2024 BP/AP Evolution

natural selection

more fit organisms live longer, reproduce more and pass along those traits

fitness

having adaptations that make an organism better able to survive in the environment

adaptations

traits that help an organism survive

evolution

change in traits in a species over time due to natural selection

reproductive advantage

individuals with a certain trait are more successful at reproducing than others

speciation

formation of a new species through isolation and evolution

tree diagram

used to show the common relationships between species

fossil evidence

fossil shows how life has changed over time

evidence for evolution

fossils, anatomy, DNA, embryos

anatomy evidence

different organisms have similar body parts

DNA evidence

all living things have DNA and share some similar DNA

embryo evidence

before birth, different organisms are very similar

heritability

traits being passed down from one generation to the next

variation

differences in a species because of recombination and mutations

isolation

the separation of organisms that leads to speciation: geography, reproduction, behavior,

vestigial structures

body structure that has no present day function, but was probably useful to an ancestor