adaptation
a characteristic that helps an organism survive in its enviorment; caused by a mutation that, by chance, matches up with the enviorment.
ex: the apposable thumb is an important adaptation in human evolution.
ex: the apposable thumb is an important adaptation in human evolution.
biodiversity
the number and variety of living things.
ex: scientiscts observe more biodiversity in the rainforests than the jungle.
ex: scientiscts observe more biodiversity in the rainforests than the jungle.
evolution
a process by which species change over long periods of time often leading to a new species all together
ex: the ancestor of the modern day horse was a much smaller animal, but through the process of evolution, organisms with longer legs and larger bodies developed over thousands of years...
ex: the ancestor of the modern day horse was a much smaller animal, but through the process of evolution, organisms with longer legs and larger bodies developed over thousands of years...
homologus structures
parts of an organism with similar underlying structures
ex: the arm of a human and the wing of a bird have the sam number and kinds of bones, even though they have different uses
ex: the arm of a human and the wing of a bird have the sam number and kinds of bones, even though they have different uses
natural selection
the process by which organisms with favorable adaptations survive and reproduce at a higher rate than organisms without the favorable adaptation
ex: zebras with longer legs can run away from a lion faster and therefore live to reproduce.
ex: zebras with longer legs can run away from a lion faster and therefore live to reproduce.
selective breeding
the intentional breeding of plants or animals for a certain desired trait
ex: farmers breed cows that produce a lot of milk and not low producers
ex: farmers breed cows that produce a lot of milk and not low producers
speciation
the process by which two groups of the same type of organism become so different they can no longer interbreed
ex: when the finche son the Galapagos Islands became isolated from each other, speciation occured and several new species of finches evolved
ex: when the finche son the Galapagos Islands became isolated from each other, speciation occured and several new species of finches evolved
species
a group of organisms that produce offspring that can reproduce sucessfuly (fertile offspring)
survival of the fittest
organisms best suited to thier enviorment will survive and reproduce; others will die off.
variation
slight differences among the individuals of a species
ex: although humans share many traits in common, there is some variation from one person to the next giving us different apperences and abilities
ex: although humans share many traits in common, there is some variation from one person to the next giving us different apperences and abilities
vegistal structure
remnant of a once useful structure
ex: hind limb bones in now legless whales
ex: hind limb bones in now legless whales
Kartensatzinfo:
Autor: ecg97@verizon.net
Oberthema: Science
Thema: Evolution and Biodiversity
Veröffentlicht: 02.05.2010
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