Evolution Vocab 1

Front

What is extinction?

Back

When a species no longer has any known living individuals.

Front

What are abiotic factors?

Back

Nonliving components of the environment.

Front

What is adaptation?

Back

A characteristic that improves an individual's ability to survive and reproduce in a particular environment.

Front

What are biotic factors?

Back

Living parts of an ecosystem.

Front

What does it mean to adapt?

Back

To adjust or change a population to better survive in a new environment over generations.

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 mass extinction?

Back

A widespread and rapid decrease in the biodiversity on Earth.

Front

What are homologous structures?

Back

Structures in different species that are similar due to common ancestry.

Front

What are analogous structures?

Back

Structures in different species that serve similar functions but evolved independently.

Front

What is biodiversity?

Back

The variety of life in the world or in a particular habitat or ecosystem.