Biology Study Cards

Front 1

Fitness

Back 1

The relative contribution that an individual makes to the gene pool to the next generation

Front 2

3 Types of Mutations

Back 2

Harmful- detrimental to the organism
Adaptive- causes the organism to gain some advantage that increases its ability to survive and reproduce
No Value-does nothing to either the organism or to make them mroe fit

Front 3

Recurrent Mutation

Back 3

A mutation that results in a trait that is genetically different from either parent, but is already present in the population

Front 4

Novel Mutation

Back 4

A mutation that results in a trait that is not already present in the population

Front 5

Competition

Back 5

Conflict that arises between individuals or groups in the process of acquiring limited resources

Front 6

Limiting Resource

Back 6

any factor(usually a nutrient) within an ecosystem that is in finite quantity and that is required by individuals in that ecosystem for survival

Front 7

Competitive Exclusion Principal

Back 7

"Two species with similar needs for the same limiting resources cannot coexist in the same place"

Front 8

2 Types of Niches- Fundamental Niche

Back 8

The resources(biotic and abiotic) that are theoretically available to an organism

Front 9

2 Types of Niches- Realized Niche

Back 9

The resources(biotic and abiotic) that are actually utilized by a given population

Front 10

Niche

Back 10

What the animal does to its community(job)

Front 11

Habitat

Back 11

Where it lives

Front 12

2 Types of Competition-Interspecific

Back 12

Competition between different species

Front 13

2 Types of Competition- Intraspecific

Back 13

Competition between same species

Front 14

Process of Natural Selection

Back 14

1. Competition results when more offspring are produced than can survive because resources are limited
2. Offspring that possess more beneficial characteristics are more likely to survive and pass on their genes
3. Because more fit individuals survive most often, populations will shift over time to accumulate more beneficaial characteristics

Front 15

Selection Resources

Back 15

Food, habitat, mates, predation, disease, climate, competition for resources (invasive species)

Front 16

3 Types of Natural Selection- Stabilizing Selection

Back 16

Encourages the average or status quo combination of traits; happens in environments where there is little change occuring

Front 17

3 Types of Natural Selection- Directional Selection

Back 17

Favors a specific combination of traits that were relatively rare in the original population; happens in environments where there is great change occuring or a species is moving into a new environment

Front 18

3 Types of Natural Selection- Diversifying Selection

Back 18

Favors traits on either end of the spectrum but not the middle; happens in environments where there is change but the new factors favor multiple variations, this often happens in a divergence of species

Front 19

Sexual Dimorphism

Back 19

A feature possessed by a single sex that increases reproductive fitness(generally in vertebrates); reproductive fitness can(but doesn't have to) detract significantly from the environmental fitness of an individual

Front 20

Adaptive Radiation

Back 20

Process of modification over time to fill a variety of niches