Chapter 4 Flashcards
Species
A set of species that can mate and reproduce
Biodiversity
Variety of earth’s species or varying life forms
Biomes
—large regions such
as forests, deserts, and grasslands with distinct climates
and certain species (especially vegetation) adapted to
them.
Fossils
mineralized or petrified replicas of skeletons,bones, teeth, shells, leaves, and seeds, or impressions
of such items found in rocks
Biological evolution
the process whereby
earth’s life changes over time through changes in the
genetic characteristics of populations
Adaptive traits
any heritable
trait that improves the ability of an individual organism
to survive and to reproduce at a higher rate than other
individuals in a population are able to do under prevailing environmental conditions
Differential reproduction
which enables individuals with the trait
to produce more surviving offspring than other mem-
bers of the population produce
Speciation
One species splits into two or more different species
Geographic isolation
occurs when different groups
of the same population of a species become physically
isolated from one another for a long period of time.
Reproductive isolation
mutation and change
by natural selection operate independently in the gene
pools of geographically isolated populations.
Endemic species
Species that are found in only one area; prone to extinction
Background extinction
Throughout most of the earth’s long history, spe-
cies have disappeared at a low rate,
Mass extinction
Rise in extinction rate above background extinction
Species diversity
Type and number of species an ecosystem has
Ecological niche
It is a species’ way of
life in a community and includes everything that affects
its survival and reproduction, such as how much water
and sunlight it needs, how much space it requires, what
it feeds on, what feeds on it, and the temperatures it can
tolerate.
Generalist species
They can
live in many different places, eat a variety of foods, and
often tolerate a wide range of environmental condi-
tions.
Specialist species
They may be able to
live in only one type of habitat, use just one or only
a few types of food, or tolerate a narrow range of cli-
matic and other environmental conditions.
Native species
Species that usually live and die in a particular ecosystem
Nonnative species
Also known as invasive, alien, or exotic species. Migrate.
Indicator species
Species that provide early warnings of damage to a com-
munity or an ecosystem
Keystone species
species whose roles have a large
effect on the types and abundance of other species in an
ecosystem.
Foundation species
species that play a major role
in shaping their communities by creating and enhanc-
ing their habitats in ways that benefit other species.
