Unit: Evolution & Natural Selection

Vocabulary

1. Adaptation a characteristic that helps an organism survive in its environment

2. Evolution when populations change over time

3. Natural Selection how a population changes in response to its environment

4. Fossil - the remain or imprints of once living organisms in rock layers

5. Species - a group of organisms that are closely related and can mate to produce
fertile offspring

6. Trait - a genetically determined characteristic

7. Selective Breeding - the human practice of breeding animals or plants that have
certain desired traits

8. Overproduction - when an organism produces more offspring than can survive

9. Inherited Variations - every individual has its own combination of traits

10. Struggle to Survive - only certain individuals in a population will survive to
adulthood due to predators, starvation or disease