Natural Selection Pop Flashcard

Front

Definition: natural selection

Back

Organisms with traits well suited to their environment survive and reproduce at a greater rate.

Front

How do you 'win' at natural selection?

Back

Survive & reproduce.

Front

What type of structures are homologous?

Back

Structures that share a common ancestry but may serve different functions.

Front

The process of choosing parent organisms for desired characteristics is called?

Back

Artificial selection.

Front

What does embryonic development similarity suggest?

Back

Organisms may have evolved from a common ancestor.

Front

What is the main driving force behind natural selection?

Back

Survival of the fittest.

Front

What is an example of a vestigial structure?

Back

Human appendix.

Front

What is the difference between homologous and analogous structures?

Back

Homologous structures share a common ancestry; analogous structures serve similar functions but do not share a common ancestry.

Front

What is genetic variation?

Back

Differences in DNA among individuals in a population.

Front

What role does mutation play in evolution?

Back

Mutations introduce new genetic variations that can be acted upon by natural selection.