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Vocabulary 16.3
Formation of Species
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Speciation | The formation of new species as a result of evolution |
| Morphology | The study of the structure and form of an organism |
| Biological Species Concept | The concept that species is a population of organisms that can interbreed but cannot breed with other populations |
| Geographic Isolation | The physical separation of populations due to geographic barriers that prevent interbreeding |
| Allopatric Speciation | Happens when species arise as a result of geographic isolation |
| Reproductive Isolation | The inability of members of a population to successfully interbreed with members of another population of the same or related species |
| Prezygotic Isolation | Reproductive isolation before fertilization |
| Postzygotic Isolation | Reproductive isolation after fertilization |
| Sympatric Speciation | Occurs when 2 subpopulations become reproductively isolated within the same geographic area |
| Gradualism | A model of evolution in which gradual change over a long period of time leads to biological diversity |
| Punctuated Equilibrium | A model of evolution in which short periods of drastic change in species, including mass extinctions and rapid speciation, are separated by long periods of little or no change |