Human Biology - Biodiversity and Evolution

Question	Answer
BIODIVERSITY	The number, variety and variability of living organisms on the planet
EXTINCTION	The loss of species
EVOLUTION	The process by which new species are formed from pre-existing ones over very long periods of time
ADAPTIVE RADIATION	The emergence of several new species from a common ancestor introduced into an environment
TAXONOMY	The scientific study of the diversity of living organisms
TAXON	A Level in the classification hierarchy consisting of a collection of organisms sharing some basic features
SPECIES	A group of similar organisms that can breed together to produce fertile offspring
FOSSIL	The preserved dead remains of plants and animals
PALAEONTOLOGY	The study of plants and animals of the geological past, as represented by their fossil remains
CONTINENTAL DRIFT	The movement of the Earth's continents relative to each other by appearing to drift across the ocean bed
PHYLOGENY	The evolutionary relationship between organisms
CRANIUM	The part of the skeleton which encases the brain
GENE POOL	The total number of alleles in a particular population at a particular time
CONVERGENT EVOLUTION	The tendency of unrelated organisms to acquire similar structures

Resource summary

	Created by mcrfan354 almost 9 years ago