click below
click below
Normal Size Small Size show me how
Biology Ch 16.3
Ch.16 vocab
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 a 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 a related species |
prezygotic isolation | occurs before fertilization |
postzygotic isolation | occurs after fertilization |
sympatric speciation | occurs when two 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 |