Genes and Proteins
A single, highly organized and structured piece of DNA
Chromosome
Producing or promoting a favorable result: advantageous
Beneficial
Process by which a population becomes better suited to its environment by increasing the frequencies of alleles that provide benefits to survive and reproduce
Adaptation
A product of reproduction: a new organism produced by one or more parents
Offspring
When organisms are descended from a single ancestor
Common ancestor
The basic physical and functional unit of heredity made up of DNA
Genes
The reproductive process involving two parents whose genetic material combine to produce a different organism
Sexual Reproduction
A trait that is beneficial to an organism and will likely be chosen by natural selection
Favorable trait
A form of artificial selection whereby deliberate breeding results in desired traits in plants or animals
Selective breeding
The sequence of heritable changes that occurs among species over time
Are found in all living cells and are made up of amino acids to perform bodily functions
Proteins
The occurrence of an organism, trait, or gene in more than one form
Genetic Variation
Organisms of the same species that are at the same level of descent from a common ancestor
Generation
Process by which humans breed other animals and plants for particular traits
Artificial selection
The mineralized remains of organisms and the rock layers in which they are found
Fossil
A characteristic of an organism; can be genetic or acquired
Trait
A change or damage in the DNA gene that permanently alters the genetic message that the gene carries
Mutation
A group of interacting individuals of the same species located in the same area
Population
The direct manipulation of genetic material in order to alter the hereditary traits of a cell, organism, or population
Genetic engineering
Scientific law that states fossils located in deeper sediment layers are older than deposited in layers closer to the surface
Law of Superposition
Different forms or versions of something
Variants
A removal of nucleotides in a genetic sequence
Deletion
Process by which organisms with favorable traits produce more successful offspring than organisms with less favorable traits, causing the favorable traits to become more common in the population
Natural Selection
Responsible for the phrase "survival of the fittest"
Charles Darwin
The permanent disappearance from a species on Earth
Extinction