Biological Evolution
Gradual changes in living organisms over time
Lineage:
A group of organisms descended from a common ancestor
Natural Selection
Nature’s process where better-adapted traits in organisms tend to survive and reproduce more.
Homologous
Structures or genes that share a common origin or ancestry
Synapomorphy:
A unique shared trait that helps identify a group’s common ancestry.
Phylogeny
The study of how living things are related in an evolutionary tree.
Genetic Drift:
Random changes in gene frequencies within small populations.
Phenotypes
Observable physical or behavioral characteristics of an organism.