EVOLUTION AND GTS
VOCABULARY – UNIT #5
1.
Species – Group of organisms that can mate
with each other to produce fertile offspring
2.
**Generation Time – Period between birth of one
generation and birth of the next generation
3.
Pangaea – Single landmass surrounded by
gigantic ocean; means “all Earth”
4.
Struggle to Survive – Part of natural selection theory:
individuals within a population compete with each other for limited resources
5.
Mesozoic Era – Period from 248 mya-65 mya; called
“age of reptiles
6.
**Fossil Record – Historical sequence of life
indicated by fossils found in layers of Earth’s crust
7.
Extinct – Describes a species that has died
out completely
8.
Evolution – Process by which populations’
inherited characteristics change over time
9.
Absolute Dating – Method of measuring the age of
fossils or rocks in years
10. Inherited Variation – Part of natural selection theory; individuals
within a population have slightly different traits
11. Relative Dating – Estimating the age of rocks and fossils
12. Darwin – Naturalist who is considered the “father of evolution” and
wrote the theory of natural selection
13. Neanderthal – Hominid that hunted large animals, made fire, and wore
clothing
14. Plate Tectonics – Theory that explains how large pieces of Earth’s crust move
and change shape
15. Paleozoic Era – Period from 543 mya-248 mya; means “ancient life”
16. Fossil – Remains or imprint of a once living organism
17. Cenozoic Era – Period from 65 mya-present day; called “age of mammals”
18. Precambrian Time – Period from 4.6 mya-543 mya; no oxygen, volcanic
eruptions, intense sun radiation
19. Adaptation – Characteristic that helps an organism survive and
reproduce in its environment
20. Hominid- Type of primate that includes only
humans and their human-like ancestors
21. Speciation – Formation of a new species as a result of evolution
(separation, adaptation, division)
22. Natural Selection – Process by which individuals that are better adapted to
their environment survive and reproduce more successfully than less well
adapted individuals; theory to explain evolution
23. Homo sapiens – Species of hominids that included modern humans and their
closest ancestors
24. Overproduction – Part of natural selection theory; each species produces
more offspring than will survive to reproduce
25. GTS (Geologic Time Scale) – Standard method used to divide
Earth’s long natural history into manageable parts
26. Successful Reproduction – Part of natural selection theory; individuals that
are better equipped to live in an environment are more likely to survive to
reproduce
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