Biological Evolution & Classification Crossword Puzzle

QUESTIONS LIST: adaptation : a particular trait that helps an organism survive in its environment, analogous : structural difference that perform the same function like different types of wings, evolution : scientific explanation for the diversity we see in the natural world and how it has changed over time; natural selection is the action mechanism, homologous : structural similarities between different species like the bones in bird’s wing being similar to the bones in a human’s arm, domain : the most generalized level of biological classification; includes archaea, bacteria, and eukarya, species : the most specific level of classification that defines an individual organism, dna evidence : refers to the common dna patterns that exist between species; the greater the similarities in dna, the more closely related two species will be, embryology : describes the similarities in the pre-birth development in different species, non-random mating : organism has preference in mate (specific song, dance, ritual), diversity : the differences seen between individuals of the same species and between species themselves, genetic drift : organisms that survive a chance event and reproduce, vestigial : structure that has gotten smaller and no longer serves a purpose for the organism, gene flow : movement or migration of an organism that results in mating of local species, taxonomy : the study of classification of organisms; enables scientists to use a common system of classifying organisms, fossil records : displays the variety of organisms that have existed over time, including a change from ancient, simple organisms to more recent, complex organisms, heterotroph : an organism that must get its energy from consuming other organisms, natural selection : process by which organisms with a certain set of favorable traits survive and reproduce other individuals with the same set of traits, kingdom : second highest level of classification; includes animals, plants, fungi, and protists, autotroph : an organism that creates its own food, usually through photosynthesis, common ancestry : theory that all organisms descended from a mutual species, biogeography : geographic distribution of organisms; species living within the same region are more likely to be closely related