- modification of an organism that makes it more fit for existence in its environment; a physical or behavioral trait that improves an organism's likelihood of surviving
C
carbon dioxide
- a greenhouse gas released into the air that traps heat in the atmosphere
climate change
- a significant and long-lasting change in the earth’s climate and weather patterns; currently, climate change refers to the global increase in earth’s air, surface and oceanic temperatures
E
evolve
- to change or gradually develop adaptive traits in populations as ongoing generations replace one another
extinct
- no longer existing
F
fossil
- hardened remains, an impression or a trace of prehistoric animal or plant life that have been preserved for thousands of years in the Earth's crust
G
genetic engineering
- the process of altering or cloning genes to produce a new trait in an organism
genetic material
- the hereditary substance in the nucleus of the cell, known as DNA, that carries all information specific to that organism
genus
- a scientific category of classification for plants or animals, comprised of similar species
geology
- scientific study of the earth's composition, physical properties, history, and structure
glacier
- a large body of ice moving slowly down a slope or valley or spreading outward on a land surface
H
herbivores
- animals that feed on plants
I
Ice Age
- see Pleistocene
in-situ
- in place, where it is found
incisor teeth
- the front teeth in mammals
insulating
- preventing the transfer of heat
M
mammals
- a class of warm-blooded animals that give birth to live young, produce milk to feed their young, and have hair or fur
mastadon
- an elephant-like prehistoric animal that appeared on the earth earlier than mammoths
migration
- to move from one region to another
P
paleontology
- a branch of biology that studies plant and animal fossils
permafrost
- permanently frozen soil on the earth’s surface
Pleistocene
- The period in the earth's history from about one million years ago until about 10,000 years ago. During the Pleistocene or Ice Age, the earth's climate was colder and much of the earth was covered with ice
predator
- an animal that obtains food by killing and eating other animals
T
tundra
- a treeless plain of the arctic or subarctic region with permanently frozen subsoil; vegetation is primarily mosses and lichens
