Natural and Artificial Selection

2. The genetic makeup or set of alleles of an organism.
4. Any environmental factor that affects an individual's ability to survive and reproduce.
11. The gradual change in inherited traits of a population of organisms that over many generations.
12. When a population is divided by a physical barrier, leading to the development of new species.
15. When organisms produce more offspring than the environment can support, leading to a struggle for survival.
17. The evolutionary process by which new and distinct species are formed.
18. A random change in an organism's DNA that can lead to new traits.
19. The permanent disappearance of a species when the last individual dies.
21. Any difference between individuals of the same species, often caused by genetic differences.
23. An adaptation that allows an organism to blend into its background to hie from predators or prey.
24. Selection that favors both extreme phenotypes while acting against the average ones.
25. An inherited trait or behavior that helps an organism survive and reproduce in its specific environment.

1. Another term for artificial selection; the human practice of breeding animals or plants that have certain desired traits.
3. Natural selection that favors one extreme phenotype over others, causing the population to shift in that direction.
5. The struggle between organisms for limited resources like food, water, or territory.
6. The intentional breeding of plants or animals by humans to develop specific desirable traits.
7. A type of natural selection where intermediate phenotypes are favored over extreme ones.
8. An ancestral group of organisms that is shared by multiple descendant lineages.
9. A measure of an organism's ability to survive to reproductive age, find a mate, and produce viable offspring.
10. A segment of DNA on a chromosome that codes for a specific trait.
13. The process where organisms better adapted to their environment tend to survive and produce more offspring.
14. All the different genes and alleles present in a breeding population.
16. The physical expression or appearance of an organism's genes.
20. A form of natural selection where individuals with certain inherited traits are more likely than others to obtain mates.
22. A specific characteristic of an individual organism that can be passed from parent to offspring.