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 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