Bio Final Flashcards
Adaptation
A trait that contributes to fitness by making an organism better able to survive or reproduce in a given environment
Artificial selection
Selection by HUMANS towards a goal. Been done to plants and animals.
Natrual Selection
Selection by abiotic and biotic environment. There is no goal and affects ALL organisms (even humans)
What the natural selection on quantitative traits
Stabilizing, directional and disruptive.
Stabilizing selection
Favors the average of the trait. Ex: human baby weight.
Directional selection
Favors one extreme for the trait.
Disruptive selection
Favors both extremes for the trait.
Population
A group of indivudals of a single species occuping a given area at the same time
Migration
The movement of indivduals from one population to another
Gene Flow
The movement of genes from one population to another.
How to measure gene flow
Looking at potential dispersal v actual interbreeding, using experimental appraches
Stochastic
Unpreditcable or random evolutionary forces (mutation, recombination and gene drift)
Deterministic
Predictable or non random evolutionary force. (natural selection)
Genetic Drift
Random changes in allele frequency due to random variation in fecundity and motility. MOST IMPORTANT WHEN POPULATIONS ARE SMALL.
Population bottlenecks
A single sharp reduection in abundance, usually followed by rebound. Causes a loss of diversity
Founder Events
Colonization by a few individuals that start a new population. Colonizing group contains only limited diversity compared to the source population.
Phenotypic Differentiation examples
Adaptive (local adaptation), due to genetic drift and phenotypic plasticity.
Phenotypic Plasticity
The ability of a genotype to modify its phenotype in response to change in the environment. Occurs though modification to growth and development and behavior. Very unpredictable.
Reciprocal Transplant studies
Growth of equivalent genotypes in contrasting environments and comparisons of their relative performance.
Local adaptation(ecological speciation)
population of organisms evolves to be more well-suited to its local environment than other members of the same species that live elsewhere
What is a species?
Phenotypic similarity, genetic similartiy also used to identify and define speices.
Taxonomic (or morphological) concepts
Based primarily on distinct measurable differences
Biological concepts
Based on inter-fertility among individuals
What are the highlights of biological species concept.
Focuses on the process, geographic isolation alone is NOT sufficient, must be possible interbreeding in the wild and does not apply well for bacteria, asexual, highly self fertitzing speices.