a characteristic that improves an individual's ability to survive and reproduce in a particular environment
evolution
adaptation
trait
a group of organisms that are closely related and can mate to produce fertile offspring
fossil
population
species
the process in which inherited characteristics within a population change over generations such that new species sometimes arise
speciation
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
geologic timescale
fossil record
the human practice of breeding animals or plants that have certain desired traits
selective breeding
reproduction
natural selection
a genetically determined characteristic
gene
DNA
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
extinction
describes a species that has died out completely
extinct
