All Flashcards
What is the effect of a physical barrier on a population?
It can lead to allopatric speciation if the barrier prevents interbreeding.
How can different breeding times cause speciation?
Populations may undergo sympatric speciation if they breed at different times, preventing interbreeding.
What is the effect of climate change on species adaptation?
Climate change creates environmental pressures that force species to adapt or face extinction.
What is the effect of habitat fragmentation on species evolution?
Habitat fragmentation can isolate populations, leading to different evolutionary paths and potentially speciation.
What is adaptation?
Process where species change over time to better fit their environment.
What is genetic adaptation?
Changes in DNA passed down through generations.
What is behavioral adaptation?
Changes in actions or habits of a species.
What is physiological adaptation?
Changes in body functions of a species.
What is evolution?
The change in the heritable characteristics of biological populations over successive generations.
What is reproductive isolation?
When two populations can no longer interbreed, leading to separate species.
What is allopatric speciation?
Speciation due to a physical barrier preventing interbreeding.
What is sympatric speciation?
Speciation in the same area due to different breeding times or other incompatibilities.
Define 'survival of the fittest'.
Having genes that best match the environment, leading to greater likelihood of thriving and reproduction.
What is genetic diversity?
The variety of genes within a population.
What is the role of environmental pressures in adaptation?
Environmental pressures drive adaptation by favoring traits that increase survival and reproduction in a specific environment.
Why is genetic diversity important for a population's survival?
Populations with diverse genes are more resilient to disasters and environmental changes, increasing their chances of survival.
Explain the relationship between evolution and adaptation.
Adaptation is the process by which organisms evolve to better suit their environment. Evolution is the broader phenomenon encompassing these changes over time.
How does climate change act as an environmental pressure?
Climate change alters habitats, food availability, and other resources, forcing species to adapt or face decline.
Describe how competition can drive adaptation.
Competition for resources (food, mates, space) favors individuals with traits that give them a competitive edge, leading to adaptation.
What is the role of natural selection in adaptation?
Natural selection favors individuals with advantageous traits, allowing them to survive and reproduce more successfully, passing those traits to future generations.
How do ecosystems drive evolution?
Ecosystems are always shifting, to survive, populations must keep up with these changes. Evolution allows more individuals to acquire optimal genes through reproduction.
What are the consequences of not adapting?
If a population doesn’t evolve, it faces higher death rates and the risk of extinction.
How do populations diverge?
When environments change, populations can diverge. One group might adapt one way, while another adapts differently.
How does reproductive isolation lead to speciation?
Reproductive isolation prevents gene flow between populations, allowing them to evolve independently and potentially become distinct species.