1. Vocabulary Review Ch 15 – Theory of Evolution

2. A heritable change in the characteristics within a population from one generation to the next; the development of new types of organisms from preexisting types of organisms over time Evolution

3. Layers of rock Strata

4. The process by which individuals that are better adapted to their environment survive and reproduce more successfully than less well adapted individuals do; a theory to explain the mechanism of evolution Natural Selection

5. The process of becoming adapted to an environment; an anatomical, physiological, or behavioral trait that improves an organism’s ability to survive and reproduce Adaptation

6. In evolutionary theory, a measure of an individual’s hereditary contribution to the next generation Fitness

7. The trace or remains of an organism that lived long ago, most commonly preserved in sedimentary rock Fossil

8. A principle that states that younger rocks lie above older rocks if the layers have not been disturbed Superposition

9. The age of an object in relation to the ages of other objects Relative age

10. The numeric age of an object or event, often stated in years before the present, as established by an absolute-dating process, such as radiometric dating Absolute age

11. The study of the geographical distribution of living organisms and fossils on Earth Biogeography

12. Anatomical structures in one species that, compared to other anatomical structures in another species, originated from a single anatomical structure in a common ancestor of the two species Homologous structure

13. An anatomical structure in one species that is similar in function and appearance, but not in evolutionary origin, to another anatomical structure in another species Analogous structure

14. A structure in an organism that is reduced in size and function and that may have been complete and functional in the organism’s ancestors Vestigial structure

15. The evolutionary history of a species or taxonomic group; the relationships by ancestry among species or taxonomic groups Phylogeny

16. The process by which unrelated species become more similar as they adapt to the same kind of environment Convergent evolution

17. The process by which two or more related but reproductively isolated populations become more and more dissimilar Divergent evolution

18. An evolutionary pattern in which many species evolve from a single ancestral species Adaptive radiation

19. The selective breeding of organisms (by humans) for specific desirable characteristics Artificial selection

20. The evolution of two or more species that is due to mutual influence, often in a way that makes the relationship more mutually beneficial Coevolution