allochronic
Học thuậtThân thiện
Two species of ammonite are considered allochronic because one lived in the Jurassic and the other in the Cretaceous.
Definition
- Adjective:
- Occurring in different geologic times: Used primarily in scientific contexts, especially in biology and paleontology, to describe taxa (groups of organisms) that lived or existed during different, non-overlapping periods in Earth's history.
Usage Examples
- Adjective:
- The fossil record shows that these two species of trilobites were allochronic, with one appearing millions of years after the other had gone extinct.
- An allochronic speciation event is one where populations become reproductively isolated because they become active or breed at different times.
Advanced Usage
- In Evolutionary Biology: The term is used to describe a mode of speciation where populations diverge because they become temporally isolated.
- Allochronic divergence can be a significant driver of speciation in insects with strict seasonal life cycles.
- In Paleontology: Used to contrast with "synchronic" (occurring at the same time) when classifying fossils.
- The study aimed to determine whether the similar morphologies were due to common ancestry or were allochronic examples of convergent evolution.
Variants and Related Words
- Allochrony (n): The state or condition of being allochronic; temporal separation.
- Allochrony is a form of reproductive isolation.
- Synchronic (adj): Occurring at the same time; contemporaneous. (This is a common antonym in technical contexts).
- Synchronic species can compete directly for resources.
Synonyms
- Non-contemporaneous: Not existing or occurring during the same period of time.
- Temporally separated: Divided or isolated by time.
Antonyms
- Synchronic: Existing or occurring at the same time.
- Contemporaneous: Belonging to the same period of time.
Two species of ammonite are considered allochronic because one lived in the Jurassic and the other in the Cretaceous.
Adjective
- (of taxa) occurring in different geologic times