Evolution

Here’s your Regents-only Evolution Flashcards — zero fluff, just exactly what you need to know:

Evolution Flashcards — Regents Focused

1. Evolution

• Change in species over time.

2. Natural Selection

• Process where organisms with traits best suited to the environment survive and reproduce more.

3. Variation

• Differences in traits among individuals in a population.

4. Adaptation

• Trait that helps an organism survive and reproduce.

5. Mutation

• Random change in DNA that can create new traits.

6. Evidence for Evolution:

• Fossils: show changes in species over time.

• Homologous Structures: similar body parts showing common ancestry.

• Embryology: early development similarities.

• DNA Similarities: closely related species have similar DNA.

7. Homologous Structures

• Body parts with similar structure but different functions (e.g., human arm and bat wing).

8. Analogous Structures

• Body parts with similar functions but different structures, no common ancestor (e.g., wings of birds and insects).

9. Vestigial Structures

• Structures with no current use but inherited from ancestors (e.g., appendix).

10. Speciation

• Formation of a new species, often due to isolation.

11. Overproduction

• Organisms produce more offspring than can survive.

12. Competition

• Organisms compete for limited resources.

13. Environmental Change

• Changes that affect which traits are helpful or harmful.

14. Antibiotic Resistance

• Bacteria evolve to survive antibiotics (example of natural selection).

15. Artificial Selection

• Humans breed organisms for desired traits.

16. Extinction

• When a species no longer exists.

If you want, I can send you quick practice questions or make these into a quiz!