Africa: Biodiversity H

Africa: Biodiversity H

Interspecific Competition

Interspecific Competition

competition between members of different species

Intraspecific competition

competition between members of the same species

Species

A group of similar organisms that can breed and produce fertile offspring.

Biodiversity

the variability among living organisms from all ecosystems

crossing over

Process in which homologous chromosomes exchange portions of their chromatids during meiosis

haploid cell

A cell containing only one set of chromosomes (n).

gamete

specialized cell involved in sexual reproduction

fertilization

fusing of egg and sperm to make a zygote

zygote

a diploid cell resulting from the fusion of two haploid gametes

mutation

A change in a gene or chromosome.

Meiosis

a type of cell division that results in four daughter cells each with half the number of chromosomes of the parent cell; production of gametes.

diploid cell

A cell containing two sets of chromosomes (2n), one set inherited from each parent.

somatic cells

body cells, diploid

homologous chromosomes

Chromosomes that have the same sequence of genes and the same structure

23

number of chromosomes in a human gamete

46

Number of chromosomes in a human somatic cell

Karyotype

A display of the chromosome pairs of a cell arranged by size and shape.

sexual reproduction

A reproductive process that involves two parents that combine their genetic material to produce a new organism, which differs genetically from both parents

asexual reproduction

Process by which a single parent reproduces by itself and creates an identical offspring

binary fission

A form of asexual reproduction in single-celled organisms by which one cell divides into two cells of the same size

Budding

A form of asexual reproduction in which a new cell grows out of the body of a parent

Fragmentation

means of asexual reproduction whereby a single parent breaks into parts that regenerate into whole new individuals

parthenogenesis

Asexual reproduction in which females produce offspring from unfertilized eggs.

Oogenesis

the production, growth, and maturation of an egg, or ovum

Spermatogenesis

the production of sperm cells

biotic potential

The maximum rate at which a population could increase under ideal conditions

environmental resistance

All the limiting factors that act together to limit the growth of a population.

exponential growth

Growth pattern in which the individuals in a population reproduce at a constant rate

logistic growth

Growth pattern in which a population's growth rate slows or stops following a period of exponential growth

density dependent factors

factor that limits a population more as population density increases

density independent factors

limiting factor that affects all populations in similar ways, regardless of population size

carrying capacity

Largest number of individuals of a population that a environment can support

polymerase chain reaction (PCR)

technique that allows molecular biologists to make many copies of a particular gene

gel electrophoresis

Procedure used to separate and analyze DNA fragments by placing a mixture of DNA fragments at one end of a porous gel and applying an electrical voltage to the gel

DNA fingerprinting

The analysis of DNA from samples of body tissues or fluids in order to identify individuals.

intersexual selection

Selection whereby individuals of one sex (usually females) are choosy in selecting their mates from individuals of the other sex; also called mate choice.

intrasexual selection

A direct competition among individuals of one sex (usually the males in vertebrates) for mates of the opposite sex.

genetic diversity

the variety of genes within a given species

gene flow

movement of alleles from one population to another

independent assortment

the random distribution of the pairs of genes on different chromosomes to the gametes