Lesson 6 Flashcards
Define the biological species concept.
Species are groups of interbreeding natural populations that are reproductively isolated from other such groups.
How is the biological species concept flawed?
It can not be applied to asexual organisms.
What is a paleospecies?
a chronological series of morphologically similar fossil forms that changed gradually over time.
What is allopatric speciation?
The process of reproductive isolation caused by geographic separation.
What is sympatric speciation?
The process of reproductive isolation within a population, but not due to geographic causes. E.g mating behavioural changes
What is a cline?
A geographical character gradient within a species. These can cause variance in tolerance to environmental pressures.
When does convergent evolution occur?
Similar habitats exert similar selective pressures on organisms of different species, leading to phenotypic similarities among the species.
What is a ring species?
A connected series of neighboring population , reproductive isolation occurs between populations at the overlapping clinal extremes.
