speciation Flashcards
Species
A group of individuals who can interbreed and produce fertile offspring
Deme
Populations isolated with little gene flow
Cline
Gradual change in the phenotype of a population along an environmental gradient
Ring species
Series of overlapping populations around a looped geographical feature. Adjacent populations can interbreed (allowing gene flow) but populations at either end of the ring are unable to interbreed
Land bridges
Continuous land that links islands during ice ages, allowing gene flow
Genetic drift
Change in allele frequency of a population due to chance
Large effect in small populations as rare alleles are easily lost and other alleles become fixed
Founder effect
A small group of individuals colonise a new area or become geographically isolated from their original population.
Allele frequency of the new population is not representative of the original population’s
Bottleneck effect
Sudden large random decrease in the size of a population due to a chance event or human action
Mutation
Random permanent change in the base sequence of a gene → produces new alleles → new phenotypes
Gene flow (migration)
Movement of alleles in or out of a population
Natural selection
Variation in the population due to mutations and sex.
Selection pressures
Better adapted individuals will survive and reproduce more, passing on their favourable alleles to their offspring
Over time, increase in allele frequency of favourable alleles, leading to evolution.
Selection pressures
Environmental factors that favour the survival of one phenotype over another
Stabilising selection
Average phenotype (intermediates) is favoured, extreme phenotypes are selected against.
Keeps characteristics the same
Disruptive selection
Both extremes are selected for, average phenotype selected against
Directional selection
One extreme phenotype is favoured and the allele frequency shifts in one direction
Sexual selection
Individuals select for specific phenotypes for a mate
Reproductive Isolating Mechanisms (RIM)
Barriers that prevent members of one species from breeding with members of the same species or a different species.
Prezygotic barriers
Prevent reproduction from taking place, prior to the formation of a fertilised egg or zygote
Geographical RIM
Physical barriers (eg. mountains, rivers, oceans)
Ecological RIM
Species occupy different niches within the same geographical area