Evolution and Natural Selection

7. the independent evolution of similar features in species of different periods or epochs in time
9. when a group within a species separates from other members of its species and develops its own unique characteristics
12. the production of new organisms by the combination of genetic information of two individuals of different sexes
16. single-celled organisms belonging to the domains Bacteria and Archaea
17. the process by which interbreeding species diverged into two or more evolutionary groups
19. the process through which populations of living organisms adapt and change
20. the movement of genes into or out of a population

1. cells containing membrane-bound organelles
2. a feature that a species inherited from an ancestor but that is now less elaborate and functional than in the ancestor
3. the reduction in genomic variability that occurs when a small group of individuals becomes separated from a larger population
4. a mode of reproduction in which a new offspring is produced by a single parent
5. when a population is greatly reduced in size, limiting the genetic diversity of the species
6. features of different species that are similar in function but not necessarily in structure and which do not derive from a common ancestral feature and which evolved in response to a similar environmental challenge
8. similar physical features in organisms that share a common ancestor, but the features serve completely different functions
10. One of two or more DNA sequences occurring at a particular gene locus
11. a change or difference in the trait
13. the process of reciprocal evolutionary change that occurs between pairs of species or among groups of species as they interact with one another
14. asexual reproduction by a separation of the body into two new bodies
15. the change in frequency of an existing gene variant in the population due to random chance
18. the complete disappearance of a species from Earth