Ecology & Evolution Flashcards
Adaptive radiation
It is best described as the emergence of multiple lineages from a single ancestral species. It is considered a rapid evolutionary event and occurs when members of the ancestral species start occupying different niches with different environmental conditions, with or without a geographical barrier. Well known example: finch speciation on the Galápagos Islands.
Hybridization
The mating of two species that results in a hybrid. In most cases the offspring is more fit for survival than the parent organism and if it is fertile and mates with another fertile hybrid, a new species can emerge.
Convergent evolution
When two unrelated species evolve in similar ecological conditions that result in the acquisition of similar traits.
Ex: bats/insects, sharks/dolphins
Theory of inheritance of acquired traits
Proposed by Jean-Baptiste Lamarck and has been DISPROVEN. Theory that proposes traits inherited during one’s lifetime can be passed down to offspring.
