Natural Selection

5. Physical attributes which improve a species ability to live and reproduce. Examples include: hawk's talons, shark's broad tail, toad's long-sticky tongue, clam's hard shell, etc.
9. the role an organism plays in its ecosystem.
11. structures that have a common function and suggest common ancestry
13. the genetic makeup of an organism
14. An adaptation in which an animal looks like an object or another animal.
15. Organisms have different genes and traits.
17. Being slightly different from another of the same kind.
18. An animal's color or pattern that helps an animal blend in with its surroundings
19. scientists who study fossils
21. Movement of animals from one area to another due to changes in seasons or environment.
22. preserved remains of animals, plants, and other organisms from the distant past
23. The purpose for which something is designed or exists

1. to receive traits or characteristics that are passed down from a parent
2. the physical characteristics of an organism
3. A trait that allows a species to be better suited to its environment.
4. Structures that have lost their use through evolution
6. A process that favors the survival and reproduction of organisms with traits well adapted to their environment
7. the DNA sequences of all the genes of an organism
8. the complete set of genes and alleles within a population
10. The actions or activities which improve a species ability to survive and reproduce. Examples include: a trout's ability to extract oxygen from water, skunk's ability to spray disgusting defensive chemicals, bee's ability to transform nectar into honey, etc.
12. A group of organisms that is able to reproduce with each other.
16. How the body (plant or animal) is physically put together
19. A group organisms of the same species living in a particular area at the same time
20. behaviors that do not require learning