Question

Match the term to the correct definition:(5 points)
Put responses in the correct response input area to answer the question. Select a response, navigate to the desired input area and insert the response. Responses can be selected and inserted using the space bar, enter key, left mouse button or touchpad. Responses can also be moved by dragging with a mouse.
Common Ancestor
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Fossil Record
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Natural Selection
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Phylogenetic Tree
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Vestigial Structure

Answer 1

Common Ancestor — an ancestral species from which two or more descendant species have evolved.

Fossil Record — the collection of fossils and their placement in geological layers, providing evidence of past life and evolutionary changes over time.

Natural Selection — the process by which individuals with heritable traits that increase fitness leave more offspring, causing those traits to become more common in a population.

Phylogenetic Tree — a branching diagram that represents evolutionary relationships among species or groups, showing lines of descent from common ancestors.

Vestigial Structure — a body part or organ that has lost most or all of its original function through evolution but remains as a reduced or nonfunctional remnant (e.g., human appendix).