Evolutionary History Vocab Flashcards

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body structure

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a part of an organism (for example, one or more bones)

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environment

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everything (living and nonliving) that surrounds an organism

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evolution

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the process by which species adapt to environmental changes over a very long time

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evolutionary time

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the very long time that spans the history of Earth, from the very first cellular life to the present

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fossil

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evidence of life from the past, such as fossilized bones, footprints, or leaf prints

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paleontologist

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a scientist who studies fossils in order to understand the ancient history of life on Earth

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related

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sharing a common ancestor population

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shared structure

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a body structure in two or more species that features the same parts (for example, the same bones)

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speciation

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the process by which one population evolves into two or more different species

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species

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a group of organisms of the same kind (in one or more populations) that do not reproduce with organisms from any other group.