Biological Evolution

4. The study of similarities and differences among structures of living species
5. Capable of being inherited or passed down by inheritance. (Parents passing down traits to offspring)
7. Any fossilized remains of a life form that shows traits that are common to both an ancestral group and its derived descendant group
8. A trait or characteristic is passed down from one generation to the next through
10. The preserved remains or traces of an organism that lived in the past
11. "Leftover" traces of evolution that serve no purpose in an organism. A major piece of evidence for the theory of evolution. Ex: your appendix
13. The gradual change in a species over time
16. A class of things of the same kind and with the same name
17. To the advantage of someone or something
18. A person's child/children
19. The bodily structure of an organism or of any of its parts (homologous, analogous, vestigial)
20. The variety of life in the world or in a particular habitat or ecosystem.

1. Body parts that perform a similar function but differ in structure.
2. The scientific theory that the Earth's lithosphere is made up of large plates that have been moving for billions of years
3. Similar anatomy in different types of animals because of common ancestry.
6. An inherited trait that increases an organism's chances of survival
9. The natural difference in DNA sequences between individuals or populations of the same species
12. A shared biological ancestor
14. A scientific theory based on concrete ideas and facts. The theory explains Change in characteristics of organisms over time
15. A process in which individuals with favorable inherited traits are more likely to survive and reproduce