Science module 7

  F  1. Natural Selection

1. happens when two populations become unable to reproduce or swap their genes

  J  2. Speciation

2. the amount of time it takes for 1/2 of a certain radioactive isotope to decay

  A  3. Reproductive Isolation

3. a method of dating fossils that uses known ages of rock strata above and below the fossil to give the best estimate of when that organism once lived

  M  4. Geographic Isolation

4. fossils that link one species to another

  K  5. Adaptation

5. when organisms possess similarities in structure but not necessarily function

  C  6. Relative Dating

6. states that those organisms that are most adapted to the environment will survive, reproduce, and pass on their genes

  L  7. Radiometric Dating

7. the science of studying the similarities and differences in embryos between organisms to determine the relatedness

  B   8. Half-life

8. a type of evolution where populations show no change for LONG periods of time and then experience rapid change

  D  9. Intermediate (Transitional) Fossils

9. a type of evolution that happens SLOWLY but consistently over time

  E  10. Homologous Structure

10. when a new species arises

  N  11. Vestigial Structure

11. any inherited characteristic that increases an organism's chance of survival

  G  12. Embryology

12. A method of dating geological or archeological specimens by determining the relative proportions of particular radioactive elements present in a sample

  I   13. Gradualism

13. reproductive isolation between two populations due to the fact that they have been physically separated

  H  14. Punctuated Equilibrium

14. structures/organs of marginal, if any, importance to the organism