Evolution
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22 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 microevolution | evolution on the smallest scale—a generation-to-generation change in the frequencies of alleles within a population |
| macroevolution | large-scale evolutionary changes that take place over long periods of time |
| population | group of individuals of the same species that live in the same area |
| community | group of interacting populations that live in the same geographic area at the same time |
| niche | the total sum of a species' use of the biotic and abiotic resources in its environment |
| habitat | the area or environment where an organism or ecological community normally lives or occurs |
| intraspecific competition | in a community competition for resources among members of the same species |
| interspecific competition | in a community, competition for resources between members of different species |
| Gause's principle | states that no two species can occupy the same niche at the same time, and that the species that is less fit to live in the environment will either relocate, die out, or occupy a smaller niche |
| realized niche | when a species occupies a smaller niche than it would in the absence of competition |
| fundamental niche | the full potential range of the physical, chemical, and biological factors a species can use if there is no competition from other species |
| predation | when one species feeds on another |
| symbiotic relationship | close, prolonged associations between two or more different organisms of different species that may, but do not necessarily benefit the members |
| mutualism | a symbiotic relationship in which both species benefit |
| commensalism | symbiotic relationship in which one member of the association benefits and the other is neither helped nor harmed |
| parasitism | a symbiotic relationship in which one organism benefits and the other is harmed |
| species | organisms that are capable of breeding with one another and incapable of breeding with other species |
| natural selection | the process by which, according to Darwin's theory of evolution, only the organisms best adapted to their environment tend to survive and transmit their genetic characteristics in increasing numbers to succeeding generations, while those less adapted tend to be eliminated |
| gene pool | consists of all genes, including all the different alleles, that are present in a population |
| genetic drift | random change in allele frequency caused by a series of chance occurrences that cause an allele to become more or less common in a population |
| extinction | the death of an entire species; permanent inactivity |
| evolutionary fitness | contribution an individual makes to the gene pool of the next generation, relative to the contribution of other members of the population |
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