Evolution & Natural Selection #1

3. the study of the molecular basis of genes and gene expression; molecular genetics
5. the chronicle of evolution over millions of years of geologic time engraved in the order in which fossils appear in rock strata
7. the study of the formation, early growth, and development of different organisms
8. occurs when natural selection produces changes in the relative frequencies of alleles in a population’s gene pool
9. a group whose members possess similar anatomical characteristics and have the ability to interbreed
13. differential success in reproduction by different phenotypes resulting from interactions with the environment.
15. the study of the body structures in different organisms
16. the study of past and present distribution of species

1. the study of genetic changes in populations; the science of microevolutionary changes in populations.
2. structures that are similar in different species of common ancestry
4. selective breeding of domesticated plants and animals to promote the occurrence of desirable inherited traits in offspring
6. an inherited characteristic that enhances an organism’s ability to survive and reproduce in a particular environment
10. a comprehensive theory of evolution that incorporates genetics and includes most of Darwin’s ideas, focusing on populations as the fundamental units of evolution
11. a group of interacting individuals belonging to one species and living in the same geographic area
12. a scientist who studies fossils
14. layers of sedimentary rock that were formed as sediments of sand and mud were compressed into rock by overlying deposits.