a characteristic that
improves an individual's
ability to survive and
reproduce in a particular
environment

a group of organisms
that are closely related
and can mate to produce
fertile offspring

the process in which inherited characteristics within a population change over generations such that new species sometimes arise

the trace or remains of
an organism that lived
long ago, most
commonly preserved in
sedimentary rock

the history of life in the
geologic past as
indicated by the traces
or remains of living
things

the human practice of
breeding animals or
plants that have certain
desired traits

a genetically determined characteristic

the process by which individuals
that are better adapted to their
environment survive and reproduce
more successfully than less well
adapted individuals do; a theory to
explain the mechanism of evolution

the formation of new
species as a result of
evolution

describes a species that
has died out completely