Chapter 19 Vocabulary

Fossils

a preserved remnant or impression of an organism that lived in the past

Strata

a rock layer formed when new layers of sediment cover older ones and compress them

Paleontology

the scientific study of fossils

Adaptations

inherited characteristic of an organism that enhances its survival and reproduction in a specific environment

Artificial Selection

the selective breeding of domesticated plants and animals to encourage the occurrence of desirable traits

Homology

similarity in characteristics resulting from a shared ancestry

Homologous Structures

structures in different species that are similar because of common ancestry; these similar structures may or may not have similar functions

Vestigial Structures

a feature of an organism that is a historical remnant of a structure that served a function in the organism’s ancestors

Convergent Evolution

the evolution of similar features in independent evolutionary lineages

Analogus

having characteristic that are similar because of convergent evolution, not homology

Biogeography

the scientific study of the past and present geographic distributions of species

Pangaea

the supercontinent that formed near the end of the Paleozoic era, when plate movements brought all landmasses of Earth together

Endemic

referring to a species that is confined to a specific geographic area