Biology GCSE
Fossil record
What Fossil record means in Biology GCSE, as defined for AQA, OCR.
Definitions of Fossil record
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Reference: OCR
Chronological evidence showing structural anatomical changes over millions of years, documenting transitions in anatomy over evolutionary time.
Preserved remains or traces of past organisms, showing that species have changed over time and giving a sequence of change through rock layers.
The only direct record of organisms that no longer exist, helping to place extinct species on branches of the tree.
Topics that use Fossil record
- Classification of living organisms (AQA GCSE)
- Evidence for evolution (AQA GCSE)
- Natural selection and evolution (OCR GCSE)
Related terms
- Antibiotic resistance
- Evidence for evolution
- allele diversity
- Alleles
- bacterial selection
- Binomial naming
- Binomial system
- Biochemical evidence and DNA sequencing
Using Fossil record in the exam
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