Lesson 1
A well- tested explanation for a wide range of observations and experimental results.
Scientific Theory
A group of similar organisms that can mate with each other and produce offspring that can also mate and reproduce.
Species
Describes how well an organism can survive and reproduce in its environment.
Fitness
All the fossils that have been discovered and what we have learned from them make up the...
Fossil Record
A possible explanation to a question that can be investigated.
Hypothesis
The process by which modern organisms have descended from ancient organisms
Evolution
Any change in the DNA of a gene or a chromosome
Mutation
A young organism that develops from a fertilized egg
Embryo
Developed the first attempt at a scientific theory of evolution.
Lamarck
The preserved remains or traces of an organism that lived in the past.
Fossil
Any difference between individuals of the same species
Variation
Similar structures that related species have inherited from a common ancestor are...
Homologous Structures
His discoveries set the stage for a theory of gradual evolution over long periods of time.
Lyell
An inherited behavior or physical characteristic that helps an organism survive and reproduce in its environment
The process by which two species evolve in response to changes in each other over time
Coevolution
If a species no longer exists and will never again live on Earth
Extinct
Hypothesized that species change over many generations and become better adapted to new conditions
Darwin
A process by which individuals that are better adapted to their environment are more likely to survive and reproduce
Natural Selection
Natural selection that acts on an organism's ability to get the best possible mate
Sexual Selection
Complicated molecules that carry out important cellular functions
Proteins