textbook vocab

Question 1

ecology

Answer 1

the study of interactions between organisms and their physical and living environment

Question 2

proximate factors

Answer 2

direct cause of a biological process/phenomenon

Question 3

ultimate factors

Answer 3

the deeper cause of a phenomenon that explains when it occurs

Question 4

organismal level

Answer 4

level in their hierarchy of biology pertaining to the individual

Question 5

population ecology

Answer 5

study of the interactions between a group of individuals of a given species and their environment

Question 6

ecological community

Answer 6

a group of coexisting species

Question 7

ecosystem

Answer 7

all the biotic and abiotic components of a community

Question 8

biosphere/ecosphere

Answer 8

all ecosystems on Earth

Question 9

biotic

Answer 9

biological factors (predation or competition)

Question 10

abiotic

Answer 10

physical factors (temperature or pH)

Question 11

environmental science

Answer 11

the study of humans’ impact on the environment

Question 12

adaptation

Answer 12

a trait or characteristic that increases an individual’s fitness in a specific environment

Question 13

evolutionary fitness

Answer 13

an individual’s ability to survive and reproduce as determined by its characteristics

Question 14

selection pressure

Answer 14

biotic and abiotic environmental factors that determine fitness

Question 15

homeostasis

Answer 15

regulatory mechanisms that help an organism stay within a given set of biological parameters/limits

Question 16

who can have fitness?

Answer 16

only individuals

Question 17

predictions

Answer 17

a result or observation that we can expect if the hypothesis is true

Question 18

falsifiable

Answer 18

trait of a good hypothesis that allows for data/observation to prove it is incorrect

Question 19

adaptations are ___ created

Answer 19

evolutionarily

Question 20

what did Darwin establish?

Answer 20

natural selection as a mechanism for evolution via adaptation to promote evolutionary fitness

Question 21

natural selection occurs to ___

Answer 21

populations! (NOT INDIVIDUALS)

Question 22

p =

Answer 22

dominant allele

Question 23

q =

Answer 23

recessive allele

Question 24

evolution

Answer 24

changes in allele frequency

Question 25

HW equilibrium (math)

Answer 25

p^2 + 2pq + q^2 = 1.0

Question 26

when is HW equilibrium applicable?

Answer 26

when no mutations or gene flow occur, when the population is infinitely large, and when there are no advantageous genotypes

Question 27

genetic drift

Answer 27

random change in allele frequency

Question 28

gene flow

Answer 28

net movement of alleles because of individuals' movement

Question 29

s

Answer 29

selection coefficient, proportion of a specific genotype not represented in the next generation

Question 30

directional stability

Answer 30

favoring one side of the phenotypic bell curve

Question 31

stabilizing selection

Answer 31

intermediate trait is favored in phenotypic bell curve

Question 32

evolutionary trade-offs

Answer 32

when a given characteristic has fitness advantages, but also costs

Question 33

disruptive selection

Answer 33

favoring of outer tails of phenotypic bell curve, against intermediate traits

Question 34

why is genetic drift not darwinian?

Answer 34

occurs by chance, not because of natural selection

Question 35

chronic genetic drift can lead to ...

Answer 35

allele loss and fixedness

Question 36

gene flow can do what to natural selection?

Answer 36

promote or slow the process and incoming/outgoing individuals alter allele frequencies

Question 37

phenotypic plasticity

Answer 37

ability of organisms to present different phenotypes in different environments

Question 38

heritability

Answer 38

cause of phenotypic variation because of genetic differences between individuals

Question 39

rate of evolution is determined by ...

Answer 39

changes in character over time

Question 40

strong selective pressures can lead to ___ and eventually ___

Answer 40

more distinct local changes in species and an ecotype

Question 41

ecotype

Answer 41

genetically distinct population that has adapted to a local environment

Question 42

red queen hypothesis

Answer 42

theory that an organism's environment is constantly changing faster than it can adapt via natural selection

Question 43

limits of natural selection

Answer 43

physical and chemical limitations (like size)

Question 44

evolutionary landscape

Answer 44

3D model of fitness and particular genotypes that identify best genotypes for evolutionary fitness by tallest peaks