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

Body parts that share a common function, but not structure; similarities among unrelated species that result from convergent evolution

Geographic distribution of species

basic structural and functional unit of all organisms

A diagram that is based on patterns of shared, derived traits and that shows the evolutionary relationships between groups of organisms

principle that all living things were derived from common ancestors

principle that each living species has descended, with changes, from other species over time

A complex molecule containing the genetic information that makes up the chromosomes.

A taxonomic category above the kingdom level (Archaea, Bacteria, and Eukarya)

A characteristic in which an allele that expresses its phenotype even in the presence of a recessive allele

A cell characterized by the presence of a nucleus and other membrane-bound organelles

Change in a kind of organism over time; process by which modern organisms have descended from ancient organisms.

The disappearance of all members of a species from Earth

Ability of an organism to survive and reproduce in its environment

The preserved remains or traces of organisms that once lived on Earth.

A segment of DNA on a chromosome that codes for a specific trait

Passing of traits from parents to offspring

An organism that has two different alleles for a trait

Structures in different species that are similar because of common ancestry.

An organism that has two identical alleles for a trait

A pattern of inheritance in which two alleles, inherited from the parents, are neither dominant nor recessive. The resulting offspring have a phenotype that is a blending of the parental traits.

large taxonomic group, consisting of closely related phyla

A type of RNA, synthesized from DNA, that attaches to ribosomes in the cytoplasm and codes for a protein.

A change in a gene or chromosome.

A process in which individuals that have certain inherited traits tend to survive and reproduce at higher rates than other individuals because of those traits.

Evolutionary history of a species or group of species.

An organism whose cells do not have an enclosed nucleus, such as bacteria.

A type of nucleic acid consisting of nucleotide monomers with a ribose sugar and the nitrogenous bases adenine (A), cytosine (C), guanine (G), and uracil (U); usually single-stranded; functions in protein synthesis and as the genome of some viruses.

The most abundant type of RNA, which forms the structure of ribosomes and perform translation

Formation of new species

A group of similar organisms that can breed and produce fertile offspring.

competition among members of a species for food, living space, and the other necessities of life

A close relationship between two species that benefits at least one of the species.

scientific theory that explains how modern organisms changed over long periods of time through descent from common ancestors and natural selection

type of RNA that carries amino acids to the ribosome

Any difference between individuals of the same species.

remnant of a structure that may have had an important function in a species' ancestors, but has no clear function in the modern species.

A eukaryotic organism that is multicellular and heterotrophic

Domain of unicellular prokaryotes that have cell walls that do not contain peptidoglycan and often live in extreme environments

Domain of common unicellular prokaryotes that have cell walls containing peptidoglycan

Domain of all organisms whose cells have nuclei, including protists, plants, fungi, and animals

Eukaryotic heterotrophs that have chitin cell walls and act as decomposers in most terrestrial ecosystems

Animals without backbones, including over 95% of living species

Multicellular, autotrophic eukaryotes with cellulose cell walls

Any eukaryotic organism that cannot be classified as an animal, plant, or fungus.

Animals that possess a backbone