Natural Selection MS-LS4-4

Grade 8 - NGSS - CA

A trait that helps an organism survive in its environment

Adaptation

A trait that helps an organism survive in its environment. Adaptation. It's a change in an organism that makes it better suited to its environment.

The selective breeding of organisms to produce offspring with specific traits

Artificial selection

The selective breeding of organisms to produce offspring with specific traits. Artificial selection. Artificial selection is when humans choose plants or animals with desired traits to reproduce, making those traits more common in future generations.

An inherited systems of behavior that helps organism to survive in its environment

Behavioral adaptation

An inherited system of behavior that helps an organism to survive in its environment behavioral adaptation. Behavioral adaptation is when animals change how they act to live better in their surroundings.

The color adaptation that helps an animal blend into its surroundings

Camouflage

The color adaptation that helps an animal blend into its surroundings. Camouflage. Camouflage is a way animals look like their surroundings to stay hidden from predators.

The struggle between two or more living things for the same limited resource

Competition

The struggle between two or more living things for the same limited resource. Competition. In a simple way, competition is when animals or plants try to get the same food, space, or water to survive.

An adaptation where an animal protects itself by looking like another animal

Mimicry

An adaptation where an animal protects itself by looking like another animal. Mimicry. Mimicry is when one animal imitates the appearance of another to avoid predators or to gain some advantage.

The individuals best suited to survive in an environment

Natural selection

The individuals best suited to survive in an environment. Natural selection. Natural selection is the process where organisms with traits best adapted to their environment are more likely to survive and reproduce.

All the organisms of the same species living in the same area

Population

All the organisms of the same species living in the same area. Population. In simple terms, a population is a group of the same kind of living things living together in one place.

Any characteristic of an organism

Trait

Any characteristic of an organism. Trait. In Grade 8 science, a trait is a specific feature or quality that can be observed in a living thing, like eye color or height.