allopatric
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Adjective:
- (Biology) Occurring in separate, geographically isolated areas: Used to describe biological species or populations that live in different geographic regions, separated by physical barriers that prevent interbreeding.
- (Biology) Relating to allopatric speciation: Pertaining to the process by which new species evolve from a single ancestral species while inhabiting different geographic areas.
Usage Examples
- Adjective:
- The two allopatric populations of finches evolved different beak shapes due to their isolation on separate islands.
- Allopatric speciation is a common mode of evolution, driven by geographic barriers like mountains or rivers.
Advanced Usage
"Allopatric distribution": The geographic occurrence of related species or populations in separate, non-overlapping areas.
- The allopatric distribution of the two frog species suggests they diverged after their habitat was split by a rising mountain range.
"Allopatric divergence": The evolutionary differentiation that occurs between populations that are geographically separated.
- Genetic studies show clear signs of allopatric divergence between the northern and southern subspecies.
Variants and Related Words
Allopatry (n): The state of existing in separate, non-overlapping geographic areas.
- Allopatry is a key condition for allopatric speciation to occur.
Allopatrically (adv): In an allopatric manner.
- The species are distributed allopatrically across the continent.
Synonyms
- Geographically isolated: Separated by physical geography.
- Vicariant: (In biogeography) Referring to populations separated by a geographic barrier.
Antonyms
- Sympatric: (Of biological species) occurring in the same or overlapping geographic areas.
- Parapatric: (Of biological species) occurring in adjacent geographic areas with a narrow zone of contact.
Adjective
- (of biological species or speciation) occurring in areas isolated geographically from one another