Evolutionary Ecology Flashcards
Evolution
All species came from a prior ancestral species
Genetic makeup changes over time
Natural selection
An organism better adapted to its environment is more likely to live long enough to produce offspring
Traits or genes of these survivors will be passed to the offspring
Population Ecology
Fitness is the propensity/probability of survival and reproduction in the given environment
Fitness: how well you can survive, not how strong you are
Genetic variability
There are some genetic differences in a population
Heritable traits
The trait is able to be passed down to offspring
Does not include traits acquired during the organism’s lifespan
Differentiable reproduction
The trait helps make more offspring with it than without it
How many children can you make?
Mutation
A gene’s structure changes, and the variant may be passed down
Please do not let Leonardo find lady ninja turtles.
Gene flow
Transfer of genetic material between populations
Ex: Bees pollinating different types of flowers
Reproduction
Inbuilt tendency and pathway to evolution, can cause variation
Rain looks like her dad, but she has her mom’s bad eyesight. Mom why :(
Limited variation under asexual reproduction (everyone is a clone)
Macroevolution
Large-scale evolutions over long periods of time
Tiktaalik’s bones look like human hands and whale flippers.
Microevolution
Minor changes within a species or small group
Babies are starting to be born without wisdom teeth. Good for them!
Gene pool
All the genes in a particular population (usually of a particular species)
Most people have black hair, but others can be blond or redheads.
Ecological niche
An ecological condition that an organism takes advantage of to survive.
Only 4 species (including the koala) eat eucalyptus leaves.
Habitat
A physical location that is the home of a particular organism
Bottlenose dolphins tend to live in the open ocean and coastal areas.
Biodiversity
The stratification (layering) of niches and habitats allow multiple species to coexist.
Blobfish and mako sharks live in the ocean, but not in the same depths.
Generalist
A species that has a large niche. They can adapt to many environments
Staurozoans can be found in shallow waters and hydrothermal vents alike
Specialist
A species with a narrow niche. They are only suited to their specific environment.
Green sea turtles only live in tropical areas and like eating seagrass.
Speciation
How one species separates into multiple different species
Apple vs Hawthorn maggot flies specialize in different fruits
Geographic isolation
Population separates into different parts due to geological barriers
Multiple genera of seed shrimp speciated post-Isthmus of Panama
Geographic isolation
Population separates into different parts due to geological barriers
Multiple genera of seed shrimp speciated post-Isthmus of Panama
Sympatric speciation
occurs when there are no physical barriers preventing any members of a species from reproducing with another, and all members are in close proximity to one another
Allopatric speciation
occurs when a species separates into two separate groups which are isolated from one another. A physical barrier, such as a mountain range or a waterway, makes it impossible for them to breed with one another
Peripatric speciation
When small groups of individuals break off from the larger group and form a new species. The main difference between allopatric speciation and peripatric speciation is that in peripatric speciation, one group is much smaller than the other.
Parapatric speciation
a species is spread out over a large geographic area. Like allopatric and peripatric speciation, different habitats influence the development of different species in parapatric speciation
Cospeciation
occurs when interacting groups, such as hosts and parasites, speciate in tandem, generating congruent phylogenies (e.g. species of flea living on a species of rats. When the rats get together to mate, the fleas get an opportunity to switch rats and perhaps mate with fleas on another rat)
Artificial speciation
The creation of new species by people. This is achieved through lab experiments.
