LECTURE NOTES - Week 3

Photosynthesis

The process by which autotrophs synthesize organic compounds from CO2 using light energy.

Chemosynthesis

The process by which certain organisms produce carbohydrates using energy derived from inorganic molecules.

Photoheterotrophs

Organisms that obtain energy from light and carbon from organic compounds.

Kleptoplasty

A phenomenon where an organism incorporates chloroplasts from another organism into its cells for photosynthesis.

Plastic responses

Temporary changes in an organism in response to environmental conditions.

Adaptive responses

Permanent changes in a species due to evolutionary processes over generations.

RuBisCO

An enzyme involved in the first major step of carbon fixation in photosynthesis.

C4 Photosynthesis

A carbon fixation pathway that separates the initial CO2 capture and the Calvin cycle spatially, optimizing water use efficiency.

Crassulacean Acid Metabolism (CAM)

A photosynthetic process that separates CO2 capture and the Calvin cycle temporally, allowing plants to conserve water.

Gene flow

The transfer of alleles from one population to another via the movement of individuals or gametes.

Natural selection

The process by which individuals with advantageous traits are more likely to survive and reproduce.

Phenotypic plasticity

The ability of a single genotype to produce different phenotypes in response to different environmental conditions.

Life History

The overall pattern in the timing and nature of life history events averaged across all individuals of a species.

Cost of Sex

Refers to the disadvantages associated with sexual reproduction, including the transmission of only half of genetic information.

Life History Trade-Offs

The balance between different strategies in resource acquisition, growth, and reproduction.