Evolution

3. A change in DNA that can create new traits or variations in a population
6. The evolution of two or more distinct species from a single ancestral species
9. Differences in traits among individuals in a population
11. Change in the genetic traits of populations over time resulting in adaptation
12. Any heritable trait that increases the fitness of an organism to survive and reproduce in its environment
14. The study of how organisms develop before birth
15. Non-functional features or traits that were fully developed and functioning in earlier species but serve no present purpose for an organism
17. An ancient species from which two or more new species evolved

1. The ability of an individual to produce viable offspring relative to others of the same species
2. Similarity in structures among organisms of different species due to their inheritance from a common ancestor (Ex. Human hair and dog fur)
4. record: All the fossils ever found, which show how species have changed over time
5. An uncommon trait or characteristic that separates two species or organisms on a cladogram
7. A scientific concept referring to Earth's vast, unimaginably long history, measured in billions of years, rather than in human lifetimes or even centuries
8. selection: The process where individuals with more helpful traits survive to reproduce more offspring than individuals that don’t possess those traits, thereby passing those traits onto the next generation
10. Any observable characteristic of an individual organism
13. the fossilized remains of an organism that shows structural features of both an ancestral group and its later descendant group
16. A group of individuals of the same species living in the same geographic area at the same time that can reproduce