Evidence of Evolution

Front

What are homologous structures?

Back

Structures in different species that have similar parts but different functions, indicating a common ancestry.

Front

What is the significance of DNA similarity in closely related organisms?

Back

Closely related organisms have very similar DNA sequences, which suggests they share a recent common ancestor.

Front

What does it mean if two species share a recent common ancestor?

Back

It indicates that the species have evolved from a common lineage and may exhibit similarities in their genetic makeup.

Front

What are adaptations?

Back

Traits that enable an organism to survive and reproduce in its environment.

Front

What is adaptive radiation?

Back

The process by which a single ancestral species rapidly diversifies into a wide variety of forms to adapt to different environments.

Front

What are vestigial structures?

Back

Body parts that have lost their original function through evolution, such as the human appendix.

Front

What is natural selection?

Back

The process by which organisms better adapted to their environment tend to survive and produce more offspring.

Front

What is the role of fossils in understanding evolution?

Back

Fossils provide evidence of past life forms and show how species have changed over time.

Front

What is divergence in evolutionary biology?

Back

The process by which two or more related species become more dissimilar over time, often due to different environmental pressures.

Front

What is the difference between homologous and analogous structures?

Back

Homologous structures share a common ancestry but have different functions, while analogous structures have similar functions but do not share a common ancestry.