 process through which species change over time.

 Nonliving factors in an organism’s environment  ex. Temperature, rainfall, sunlight

 living factors in an ecosystem.  Ex. Trees, insects, grass

 A characteristic or any inherited trait that makes a species better suited to survive and reproduce in its environment

 Natural environment in which a living thing gets all that it needs to live  Ex. Deserts, rainforest, coral reef, lake

 The process through which members of a species that are best suited to their environment survive and reproduce at a higher rate than other members of their species.

 One of several periods in Earth’s history when large numbers of species became extinct at basically the same time.

 A group of organisms of the same species.

 A natural process that involves a gradual change in the plant and animal communities that live there.

 a physical structure that was fully developed and functional in an earlier group of organisms but is reduced and unused in later species.

 The evolution of a new species from an existing one

 A change in an organism’s DNA

 A distant or early form of an organisms from which later forms descend

 The imprint or hardened remains of a plant or animal that lived long ago

 Factor or condition that prevents the continuing growth of a population in an ecosystem

 Separation of a population of organisms from related forms in such a manner to prevent crossbreeding

 The permanent disappearance of a species

 The study of the changes in the number of individuals in a population and the factors that affect those changes

 Maximum number of a species that an ecosystem can support

 Measure of the number of organisms that live in a given area  Ex. 15 rabbits per sq km

 Number of individuals of the same species that live in a given area

 Movement of an organism into a range inhabited by individuals of the same species

 Movement of individuals out of an ecosystem

 Species characterized by a relatively short life span, with relatively large numbers of offspring

 A species characterized by a relatively longer life span, with relatively few offspring, when compared with an opportunist species.

 The release of harmful substances into the air, water, or land.