Vocab 14-17 Flashcards
Species Richness
Number of Species in a given area
Species Evenness
Relative proportion of individuals within different species in a location
Phylogeny
The branching pattern of evolutionary relationships
Evolution
A change in the genetic composition of a population over time
Gene
A physical location on the chromosomes within each cell of an organism
Genotype
Genetic makeup
Phenotype
What is actually visible
Mutation
The random change in a genetic code
Genetic Drift
A change in the genetic composition of a population over time as a result of random mating
Artificial selection
The process in which humans determine which individuals breed, typically with a preconceived set of traits in mind
Evolution by natural selection
The process in which the environment determines which individuals survive and reproduce
Adaptation
A trait that improves an individual’s fitness
Gene Flow
The process by which individuals move from one population to another and thereby alter the genetic composition of both populations
Genetic Drift
A change in the genetic composition of a population over time as a result of random mating
Bottleneck effect
A reduction in the genetic diversity of a population caused by a reduction in its size
Extinction
The death of the last member of a species
Founder effect
A change in the genetic composition of a population as a result of descending from a small number of colonizing individuals
Allopatric speciation
The process of speciation that occurs with geographic isolation
Sympatric speciation
The evolution of one species into two, without geographic isolation
Genetically modified organism (GMO)
An organism produced by copying genes from a species with a desirable trait and inserting them into another species
Range of tolerance
The limits to the abiotic conditions that a species can tolerate
Fundamental niche
The suite of abiotic conditions under which a species can survive, grow, and reproduce
Realized niche
The range of abiotic and biotic conditions under which a species actually lives
Distribution (of species)
Areas of the world in which a species lives
Niche generalist
A species that can live under a wide range of abiotic or biotic conditions
Niche specialist
A species that is specialized to live in a specific habitat or to feed on a small group of species
Mass extinction
A large extinction of species in a relatively short period of time
