Evidence for Evolution
What is common ancestry?
All species come from earlier species
What is natural selection?
Process where beneficial traits increase in a population
What is artificial selection?
Humans choosing traits in organisms
What is stabilizing selection?
Favors average traits
Who is Gregor Mendel?
Scientist who discovered genetics using pea plants
What are fossils?
Preserved remains found in rock layers
What is variation?
Differences in traits within a population
What is selective breeding?
Another term for artificial selection
What is directional selection?
Favors one extreme trait
What is mutation?
Random change in DNA
What are homologous structures?
Structures similar due to shared ancestry but different functions
What is competition?
When organisms compete for limited resources
What is inbreeding?
Breeding closely related individuals
What is disruptive selection?
Favors both extremes
What is DNA?
Molecule that carries genetic information
What are vestigial structures?
Organs that no longer serve a major function
What are adaptations?
Traits that improve survival and reproduction
What is increased harmful genetic traits?
Major risk of inbreeding
What is directional selection?
Type of selection seen in industrial melanism in moths
Who is Francis Crick?
Co-discoverer of DNA structure with Watson
What is biogeography?
Evidence based on the geographic distribution of species
What are selection pressures?
Environmental factors that influence survival
What is humans directly choosing traits?
Why artificial selection is faster than natural selection
What is it becomes narrower around the mean?
What happens to the bell curve in stabilizing selection
What is survival of the fittest?
Term describing organisms best suited to survive and reproduce