The Evolution of Life​: Vocabulary

Word Definition Image

adaptation an inherited trait evolved

through natural selection that
makes a population well
suited to living and
reproducing in its
environment

evolution the inherited changes that

occur in a population over
time

natural selection the process through which

individuals in a population
with certain inherited traits
are more likely to survive and
reproduce than individuals
with less favorable traits in a
specific environment

population a group of individuals of the

same species that live and
reproduce in the same place

genetic variation differences in the inherited

traits of different individuals
Trait a characteristic of an
organism

adapt to evolve a trait, through

natural selection, that makes a
population well suited to
surviving and reproducing in
its environment

probability the chance that a specific

outcome will occur out of the
total number of outcomes

proportion the fraction of the whole

coevolution the evolution of two species
in response to each other,
resulting in reciprocal or
“matching” adaptations

protein a type of molecule that makes

up much of an organism’s
structure and helps it function

gene a segment of DNA that

contains the instructions for
building a product, usually a
protein

DNA a type of molecule that carries

the inherited information
passed from parents to
offspring
chromosome a cell structure that contains
an organism’s DNA

allele a specific version or form of a

gene

mutation a random change to an

organism’s DNA

Iterative testing repeated testing of an object,

tool, or process with changes
or improvements between the
rounds of testing