Extinction & Speciation Flashcards
What is a species?
A group of similar organisms that can produce fertile offspring.
Give reasons why species become extinct.
Environmental changes, new predators, new diseases, competition, catastrophic events and new species develop.
What is speciation?
The development of a new species.
What is isolation?
When populations of a species are separated by, for example, a land barrier.
What is natural selection?
Where organisms that are better suited to their environment have a better chance of survival and so are more likely to breed successfully.
How does isolation create a new species?
Populations of a species are separated by a land barrier, like mountains. On each side, climates are different and so each population adapts to the climate. Eventually, one population adapts so much they become a new species because they cannot breed with the other to make fertile offspring.
