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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 |