Ecological Succession and Evolution Review

Flashcards covering key vocabulary related to ecological succession, evolution, speciation, and genetic modification from the lecture notes.

Sympatric Speciation

The formation of new species, often through polyploidy, occurring within the same geographical area.

Polyploidy

An increase in the number of sets of chromosomes beyond the normal two sets.

Einkorn Wheat (Triticum boeoticum)

An ancestral wheat species with two sets of chromosomes, producing small seeds.

Durum Wheat (Triticum durum)

A wheat species bred to have four sets of chromosomes, producing medium-sized seeds, used to make pasta.

Common Wheat (Triticum aestivum)

A wheat species bred to have six sets of chromosomes, producing the largest seeds, used mostly for bread.

Extinction

Occurs when a species cannot adapt quickly enough to environmental change and consequently disappears.

Artificial Selection

Rapid evolution occurring when humans selectively target individuals with desirable traits, such as intensive fishing removing larger fish.

Genetically Modified Organism (GMO)

An organism produced by copying genes from a species with some desirable trait and inserting them into other species of plants, animals, or microbes.

Bt-cotton / Bt-corn

Crop plants genetically modified with genes from the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis to produce their own insecticide.

Ecological Succession

The predictable replacement of one group of species by another group of species over time.

Primary Succession

Ecological succession occurring on surfaces with bare rock and no soil.

Pioneer Species

In primary succession, species such as algae, lichens, and mosses that can colonize bare rock and survive with little or no soil.

Secondary Succession

The succession of plant life that occurs in areas that have been disturbed but have not lost their soil.

Early-Succession Trees

Tree species like aspen and cherry that disperse easily, grow rapidly, and thrive in full sunshine in disturbed areas.

Shade-Tolerant Species

Species like beech and maple that can survive and grow well in the shade of early-succession trees, eventually dominating the forest community.

Phenotype

The set of traits expressed in an individual.

Adaptation

A trait that improves an individual's fitness.

Genetic Drift

The change in the genetic composition of a population over time due to random mating.

Microevolution

Changes in a population's phenotype over time due to artificial and natural selection acting on genetic variation.

Macroevolution

The process by which new species are created.