Natural Selection

2. A trait that is beneficial to an organism and will likely be chosen by natural selection.
4. The variety of gene combinations that exist within a population.
7. A group of organisms with similar characteristics that are able to interbreed or exchange genetic material.
8. Matching genes that come from the biological mother and father. Often, they are slightly different causing mutations.
11. A group of interacting individuals of the same species located in the same area.

1. Charles' Darwin's theory of 'survival of the fittest'. Process by which organisms with favorable traits produce more successful offspring than organisms with less-favorable traits, causing the favorable traits to become more common in the population.
3. A characteristic of an organism; can be genetic or acquired.
5. A process by which a population becomes better suited to its environment by increasing the frequencies of alleles that provide benefits to survival and reproduction.
6. Organisms of the same species that are at the same level of descent from a common ancestor.
9. The change in the gene pool of species over time that results from genetic changes passed down over successive generations.
10. Deoxyribonucleic acid is the molecule that carries genetic information for the development and functioning of an organism.