1. Ch 15 – Theory of Evolution
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. 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

4. 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

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

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

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

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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

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

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

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

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

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

16. 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