Ecology, Meiosis, and Gene Linkage Practice Flashcards

This set of vocabulary flashcards covers essential concepts in Ecology (habitats, niches, symbiosis), Meiosis (ploidy, genetic diversity), and Genetics (gene linkage and mapping).

Habitat

The physical place where an organism lives, such as a desert or mangrove forest.

Niche

The specific role an organism plays, including how it survives, what it eats, and how it interacts.

Microhabitat

A very small, specific part of a habitat with unique conditions, like the space under bark or inside soil.

Microbiome

The community of microorganisms living in a particular environment, such as soil, water, or a cow's stomach.

Tolerance range

The range of environmental conditions a species can survive and reproduce in.

Optimum range

The range of conditions where an organism grows, reproduces, and thrives.

Zone of stress

The range of conditions where an organism struggles to survive, resulting in less growth and less reproduction.

Outside limits

Conditions beyond an organism's tolerance range where survival is not possible.

Competition

When two or more organisms need the same limited resource.

Competitive Exclusion Principle

A principle stating that no two species can occupy exactly the same niche in exactly the same habitat at exactly the same time.

Niche differentiation

When species adapt to use different resources or different parts of a habitat to reduce competition and allow coexistence.

Predation

An interaction where one organism hunts and eats another.

Herbivory

An interaction where an organism feeds on plants.

Symbiosis

A close, long-term relationship between two different living organisms.

Mutualism

A type of symbiosis where both organisms benefit, such as bees and flowers during pollination.

Commensalism

A type of symbiosis where one organism benefits and the other is unaffected, such as barnacles on a sea turtle.

Parasitism

A type of symbiosis where one organism benefits by harming a host, such as a tick on a dog.

Keystone species

A species with a massive impact on ecosystem stability; their removal causes the ecosystem to collapse.

Meiosis

The process that reduces the chromosome number by half to form gametes, such as sperm and egg cells.

Diploid ($2n$) cell

A cell containing two complete sets of chromosomes, one from each parent; typical of body cells.

Haploid ($n$) cell

A cell containing one set of chromosomes; typical of gametes.

Crossing-over

The exchange of DNA between homologous chromosomes during Meiosis I.

Independent assortment

The random lining up of homologous chromosomes during Meiosis I, creating different genetic combinations.

Gene linkage

The phenomenon where genes located close together on the same chromosome tend to be inherited together.

Crossover frequency

A measure of the distance between genes; a low frequency (e.g., $5\%$) means they are close together, while a high frequency (e.g., $17\%$) means they are far apart.

Gene mapping

The process of using crossover data to determine the specific positions of genes on a chromosome.

Thomas Hunt Morgan

The scientist who discovered gene linkage through his studies of fruit flies ($\text{Drosophila}$).

Resource partitioning

Dividing resources so different species use different food sources, areas, or times to minimize competition.