Science Unit 21

• is the process wherein organisms become better suited to survive in a

  specific environmental condition.

  Adaptation
• A French scientist who proposed the theory of use and disuse.

  Jean Baptiste Lamarck
• This theory states that organisms can inherit traits that the parents

  have acquired through use. This theory has long been disproven.

  theory of use and disuse
• are body features that help

  organisms acquire food and shelter, withstand

  harsh weather, and even reproduce.

  Physical adaptations
• It is found in many plants, especially invasive or introduced species.

  allelopathy
• It is one that is not native to an ecosystem but has been introduced into the area by humans and is causing harm to the new ecosystem.

  invasive species
• It is when an animal enters a state

  of lowered metabolic activity, usually seen

  during winter.

  Hibernation
• It refers to the movement of

  organisms from one geographic area

  to another.

  Migration
• It is the degree of the variation of living organisms in a particular

  environment.

  Biodiversity
• It refers to the

  variations in genes between

  individuals of a species.

  Genetic diversity
• It refers to the variety of

  species in a given ecosystem.

  Species diversity
• It refers to the number of ecosystems that are present in a

  location.

  Ecosystem diversity
• It simply refers to the number of unique species that can be found

  within a certain area.

  Species richness
• It is a measure and comparison of the

  number of members that each species has within the community.

  Species evenness
• It is the random manner in which an allele can be favored or lost in a

  given population.

  Genetic drift
• used to describe any event

  that reduces the population

  in a nonselective manner.

  bottleneck effect
• It occurs when a few individuals of a species colonize a new habitat and form the genetic base for a new population.

  founder effect