Chapter 5 Evolution & Biodiversity
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39 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 Ecosystem diversity | variety of habitats, living communities, and ecological processes in the living world |
| Species diversity | the variety of different kinds of organisms that make up the community |
| Genetic diversity | refers to the sum total of all the different forms of genetic information carried by all organisms living on Earth today |
| Species Richness | the number of different species in a community |
| Species Eveness | relative abundance of individuals within each each of the species in a community. |
| Phylogenetics | the analysis of the evolutionary or ancestral relationships among taxa |
| Evolution | (biology) the sequence of events involved in the evolutionary development of a species or taxonomic group of organisms |
| Microevolution | evolution resulting from small specific genetic changes that can lead to a new subspecies |
| Macroevolution | evolution on a large scale extending over geologic era and resulting in the formation of new taxonomic groups |
| Genes | the biochemical units of heredity that make up the chromosomes; a segment of DNA capable of synthesizing a protein |
| Genotype | a group of organisms sharing a specific genetic constitution |
| Mutation | (biology) an organism that has characteristics resulting from chromosomal alteration |
| Recombination | the formation of new combinations of the different alleles of each gene on a chromosome; the result of crossing over |
| Phenotype | The physical traits that appear in an individual as a result of its gentic make up. |
| Evolution by artificial selection | a change in the genetic composition of a population over time as a result of humans selecting which individuals breed, typically with a preconceived set of traits in mind |
| Evolution by natural selection | a method of evolutionary change resulting when individuals are better adapted for survival, produce more offspring, and pass down their adaptation |
| Fitness | ability of an organism to survive and reproduce in its environment |
| Adaptation | the process of adapting to something (such as environmental conditions) |
| Evolution by Random Processes | evolution occurring by nonadaptive processes; uninfluenced by humans and unrelated to individuals' fitness |
| Genetic drift | the gradual changes in gene frequencies in a population due to random events |
| Bottleneck effect | Genetic drift resulting from the reduction of a population, typically by a natural disaster, such that the surviving population is no longer genetically representative of the original population. |
| Founder effect | change in allele frequencies as a result of the migration of a small subgroup of a population |
| Geographic isolation | form of reproductive isolation in which two populations are separated physically by geographic barriers such as rivers, mountains, or stretches of water |
| Reproductive isolation | separation of species or populations so that they cannot interbreed and produce fertile offspring |
| Allopatric speciation | The formation of a new species as a result of an ancestral population's becoming isolated by a geographic barrier. |
| Sympatric speciation | The formation of a new species as a result of a genetic change that produces a reproductive barrier between the changed population (mutants) and the parent population. No geographic barrier is present. |
| Genetic variation | the number and frequency of alleles that are present in a particular population |
| Population size | The number of individuals of a specific species occupying a given area/volume at a given time |
| Generation time | the period between the birth of one generation and the birth of the next generation |
| Genetic engineering | the technology of preparing recombinant DNA in vitro by cutting up DNA molecules and splicing together fragments from more than one organism |
| Genetically modified organisms | An organism that has acquired one or more genes by artificial means; also known as a transgenic organism |
| Range of tolerance | Range of chemical and physical conditions that must be maintained for populations of a particular species to stay alive and grow, develop, and function normally |
| Fundamental niche | the full range of conditions that a species can tolerate and resources it can use |
| Realized niche | the range of resources and conditions a species actually uses or can tolerate at optimal efficiency; smaller than fundamental niche |
| Distribution | the commercial activity of transporting and selling goods from a producer to a consumer |
| Niche generalists | a species that can live under a wide range of abiotic or biotic conditions |
| Niche specialists | a species that is specialized to live in a specific habitat or to feed on a small group of species |
| The Five Mass Extinction | 7 out of 10 biologists believe that we are in the midst of a mass extinction of living things, and that this dramatic loss of species poses a major threat to human existence |
| The Sixth Mass Extinction | 7 out of 10 biologists believe that we are in the midst of a mass extinction of living things, and that this dramatic loss of species poses a major threat to human existence |
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