Genetic information official content key terms

Genetic Drift

A mechanism of evolution that refers to random changes in allele frequencies in a population, often having a more significant effect in small populations.

Fitness

The ability of an organism to survive and reproduce in its environment, often measured by the number of offspring produced.

Directional Selection

A type of natural selection that favors one extreme phenotype over others, causing a shift in the population's trait distribution.

Stabilising Selection

A natural selection process that favors intermediate variants and acts against extreme phenotypes.

Allele frequency

The proportion of a specific allele among all allele copies in a population, which can change over time due to mechanisms such as natural selection, genetic drift, and gene flow.

Adaptive radiation

The rapid evolution of diversely adapted species from a common ancestor, often occurring when a change in the environment makes new resources available or creates new challenges.

Species

A group of organisms that can interbreed and produce fertile offspring.

Reproductive isolation

Mechanisms that prevent different species from interbreeding and producing fertile offspring.

Courtship behavior

A set of behaviors performed by animals to attract mates and ensure reproductive success.

Species recognition

The ability of an organism to identify and select mates of the same species, often facilitated by specific courtship behaviors.

Phylogenetics

The study of evolutionary relationships among biological entities, often using molecular data.

Taxonomy

The science of classification of living organisms into groups based on shared characteristics.

Taxonomy

The science of classification of living organisms into groups based on shared characteristics.

Nomenclature

A system of names used in a particular field, in this case, the naming of species in biology.

Antigen

A molecule or part of a molecule that is recognized by the immune system, often triggering an immune response.

Phylogenetic tree

A diagram that represents evolutionary relationships among various biological species based on their genetic information.

Species Richness

The number of different species represented in a given ecological community.

Ecosystem Stability

The ability of an ecosystem to maintain its structure and function in the face of external stressors.

Species Richness

The number of different species present in a given area.

Index of Diversity

A quantitative measure that reflects both the number of species and the distribution of individuals among those species.

Biodiversity

The variety of life in the world or in a particular habitat or ecosystem.

Ecosystem

A biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment.

Biodiversity

The variety of life in a particular habitat or ecosystem, including the number of species, genetic diversity, and ecosystem diversity.

Ecosystem services

The benefits that humans derive from ecosystems, including provisioning, regulating, cultural, and supporting services.

Ecosystem services

The benefits that humans derive from ecosystems, including provisioning, regulating, supporting, and cultural services.

Habitat fragmentation

The process by which large, continuous habitats are divided into smaller, isolated patches, often due to human activities.

Allele

Different forms of a gene that can exist at a specific locus on a chromosome.

Polymorphism

The occurrence of two or more genetically different forms in the population of a species.

Phylogenetics

The study of evolutionary relationships among biological entities, often using genetic data.

Amino Acid Sequence

The order of amino acids in a protein, which is determined by the corresponding DNA sequence.