Vocabulary
What is Adaptive Radiation?
The division of a group of organisms into diverse groups over a short period of geologic time
The Fiji parrotfinch, a bird native to Fiji, has discovered a small island nearby. This island contains unexploited resources and ecological niches for the Fiji parrotfinch to utilize.
This is new habitats.
What is an ecological opportunity?
A situation where new resources or habitats become available, allowing species to diversify.
What is a baby raccoon, fox, skunk, or beaver called?
They are called Kits.
Which animal sleeps standing up and sometimes forgets it’s asleep?
A Horse.
What does the word Niche mean?
The role that an organism has in its habitat.
A group of Howler monkeys from the Amazon rain forest has discovered an uninhabited part of the forest. This part of the forest has no competition for resources or habitat.
This is showing reduced competition.
What is a niche partition?
When species divide resources to reduce competition.
What is a baby owl called?
It is called an Owlet.
Which bird can mimic car alarms, chainsaws, and camera shutters so accurately it sounds like a soundboard?
A Lyrebird.
What is speciation?
It is the formation of new species.
The Mourning Cloak butterfly can blend in with trees because of the brown color and wrinkly look of its wings. This variation of the butterfly's features has helped it to survive over time.
This is genetic variation.
What is adaptive pressure?
Environmental factors that influence which traits are favored.
What is a baby falcon called?
They are called a Eyass.
Which fish can climb waterfalls using its mouth like a suction cup?
The Goby Fish.
What is the study of the distribution of organisms and their interactions with the environment?
After a volcanic eruption creates fresh land off the coast of Hawaii, a small group of crickets is blown onto the new island. With untouched soil, new plants, and no established insect competitors, the crickets begin to spread into different ecological niches.
This is showing new habitats.
What is a baby shrimp called?
It is called a Nauplius.
Which mammal has venomous elbows and licks its own armpits to activate the venom?
The Slow Loris.
What is an event where species vanish faster than normal?
Mass extinction.
A population of desert lizards shows a rare mutation that gives some individuals lighter, sand‑colored scales. As predators struggle to spot these lighter lizards, they survive more often and begin forming a distinct group over generations.
This is showing genetic variation.
What is convergent evolution, and how is it different from adaptive radiation?
Two unrelated species evolving similar traits vs. one species splitting into many.
What is a baby swan called?
It is called a Cygnet.
Which animal migrates farther than any other on Earth, traveling thousands of miles between feeding and breeding grounds each year?
The Arctic Tern.