ecology and evolution

Adaptation

The process of change in traits or characteristics in order to suit a purpose (often for an advantage in survival).

Allele Frequency

The frequency of a certain allele within a population.

Directional Selection

The phenomenon in which a certain trait or characteristic is favored in an environment, causing its frequency to increase over time.

Artificial Selection

The phenomenon in which a certain trait or characteristic is manipulated by humans in order to spread, thus increasing its frequency within a population.

Disruptive Selection

The phenomenon in which the extremes of both sides of the spectrum for a certain trait or characteristic is favored in an environment, causing its frequency to increase over time.

Ecological (geographic) isolation

The separation of a population(s) as a result of physical barriers, usually as geographic terrain.

Evolution

The gradual change in an organism’s traits or characteristics.

Fitness

The measurement for how adapted an organism is towards survival and reproduction.

Founder Effect

The phenomenon of a small group of individuals breaks off a larger population and is disproportionately biased in terms of traits or characteristics, unable to accurately represent the original population and thus resulting in less genetic diversity for the smaller group and any subsequent resulting offspring.

Gene Flow

The transfer of traits or characteristics from one population to another.

Gene Pool

The overall group of available variants of various different pieces of genetic material (aka. Alleles) within a population.

Genotype

The genetic material (usually measured in alleles) of an organism.

Hybrid

The offspring of genetically distinct/different parents (eg. Different species)

Microevolution

The gradual, small change in the genetic material and occasionally traits or characteristics of an organism over a short period of time.

Natural Selection

The catalyst for evolution, natural selection is the gradual change in an organism’s traits or characteristics as a result of environmental pressures and other organic pressure.

Normal Distribution

The baseline distribution for the frequency of the most moderate and extremes of a variable, as well as everything in between with the most moderate being the most frequent and gradually decreasing in frequency as the variable becomes more extreme.

Phenotype

An observable physical, behavioral, and internal characteristics or traits of an organism, distinct from the actual genetic code.

Population

A large group of a species which resides geographically close to one another and capable of reproducing with one another.

Reproductive Isolation

The biological barriers which prevents the process of reproduction of being fully carried out as a result of psychological or physical barriers (i.e. mating seasons or incompatible reproductive organs).

Sexual Selection

A phenomenon where certain traits increases reproductive success but not necessarily individual survival rates.

Convergent Evolution

The adaptation of similar traits or characteristics in different, unrelated organisms as a result of external variables (eg. similar environmental pressures).

Divergent Evolution

The process where evolution causes related species to develop traits and characteristics increasingly distinct from their original common ancestor.

Mutation

The random alteration of an organism’s genetic material.

Genetic Drift

The natural adoption or loss of a characteristic or trait not motivated by natural selection, but rather simply through randomness and chance.

Adaptive Radiation

The rapid speciation of a single ancestor, where a single ancestors rapidly diversifies into multiple species each meant to take advantage of a specific niche.

Temporal Isolation

The process in which organisms are prevented in reproducing as a result of distinct reproductive periods/seasons.

Define food chain

Transfer of energy from one organism to another beginning with producer

Define producer

Organism making organic nutrients usually by photosynthesis

Define consumer

Organism obtaining energy by feeding on others

Define decomposer

Organism feeding on dead organic matter

What is a food web?

Network of interconnected food chains

What is a trophic level?

Position of an organism in a food chain

Why are pyramids of energy most useful?

They show actual energy transfer and account for time

Why is energy transfer inefficient?

Energy lost through respiration, movement, heat waste