Lecture 11 Vocabulary (BIOL211)

These flashcards cover key vocabulary related to the concepts of speciation and the mechanisms driving evolution, as discussed in the lecture.

Hybrid Zone

A region where hybridization occurs between populations that are becoming reproductively isolated.

Allopatric Speciation

Speciation that occurs when populations are geographically separated by physical barriers.

Sympatric Speciation

Speciation that occurs without physical isolation, often through mechanisms like disruptive selection or polyploidy.

Reinforcement

The process by which natural selection increases reproductive isolation between hybridizing species.

Dobzhansky-Muller Model

A model explaining how reproductive incompatibilities develop after a single ancestral population is divided and evolves independently.

Polyploidy

The condition of having more than two complete sets of chromosomes, which can lead to speciation.

Fusion

The merging of two species into one due to significant gene flow before complete speciation has occurred.

Stability in Hybrid Zones

A situation where hybrid zones persist over many generations due to consistent hybridization and weak reproductive barriers.

Disruptive Selection

A form of natural selection that favors extremes rather than intermediate traits, potentially leading to sympatric speciation.

Founder Event

A phenomenon in which a small group from a larger population establishes a new population, potentially leading to speciation.