5,195 Matching Annotations
  1. Feb 2018
    1. aerobic life

      Organisms that require oxygen to produce energy and to survive. Plants help to maintain the earth's oxygen rich atmosphere through photosynthesis (CO2 is taken in and oxygen is released). Without the existence of plant life, other organisms that depend on oxygen to breathe would not exist.

    2. biomass

      As plants conduct photosynthesis and gain energy, they grow. Plants accumulate biomass through the storage of carbon and uptake of other vital nutrients required for plant grow. By taking the dry-weight of plants, the scientist can see how much carbon is being taking up through the soil.

    3. marginal value

      Marginal value is the amount of economic growth received for each additional unit of species richness relative to the previous unit. The paper suggests that marginal value decreases with the addition of species, when considering biomass accumulation, due to competition. This implies the addition of each new species to an ecosystem causes diminishing returns on rate of growth for all plants because each plant is competing for limited resources.

    4. economic value

      The amount of energy the grasslands will be producing. If there is a greater degree of competition between the different species than there will be a higher output of growth and carbon storage.

    5. species richness

      The number of different collective groups of organisms that are in a habitat. The increasing number of varieties of organisms will be compared to the carbon storage throughout the habitat. The scientists expect that a higher number of variety will disclose an increase in economic value.

    6. Biodiversity

      A measure of the variety of life or different species in a specific environment. Increased biodiversity is associated with promoting competition which increases carbon storage.

    7. Carbon storage

      The ability of plants to uptake carbon from the environment and convert it into biomass. Plants decrease CO2 levels by absorbing carbon from the atmosphere to use for photosynthesis.

    1. polypropylene

      Polypropylene is a plastic polymer used in packaging, reusable containers, laboratory equipment, and medical devices. It is a polymer made of repeating subunits (groups of atoms) with three carbons in each subunit. Polypropylene is the second-most widely produced synthetic plastic, after polyethylene.

    2. polyethylene

      Polyethylene is a polymer, made of repeating subunits (groups of atoms) with two carbons in each subunit. It is the most commonly produced plastic in the world, used in applications such as plastic bags, films, and bottles.

    1. antagonistic signals

      Signals that conflict or interfere with one another.

    2. membrane potential

      The voltage generated by the difference in the concentrations of ions on either side of a membrane.

    3. epithelium-lined crypts

      "Pouches" within the light organ that are lined with columnar-shaped cells, where the Vibrio attach.

    1. oogenesis

      The process in female reproduction where the eggs or ova (female gametes) are produced.

    2. assay

      The process of testing a material to determine its composition and quality.

    3. transduction

      The transfer of DNA from a virus into a cell.

    4. fluorescent

      Shows radiation from somewhere else by allowing the wavelength to become shorter with a x-rays or ultraviolet waves.

    5. derivatization

      This is a technique used in chemistry. It is important because it allows for the development of chemical compound of a desired chemical structure based on a similar product.

    6. Forkhead-box-binding protein

      Proteins that bind to DNA and regulate gene expression.

    7. µl

      Microliter; there are 1,000,000µl in one liter (L)

    8. Corpora allata-corpora cardiaca complexes (CA-CC)

      The corpora allata (CA) is responsible for the production and release of juvenile hormones. The corpora cardiaca (CC) complexes are responsible for regulating reproduction and metamorphosis. The CC send out messages for the body to produce hormones that mature ovaries and hormones to produce insulin.

    9. PI3K

      This involves an intracellular signaling pathway, which occurs within the cell membrane of a cell, and is important in regulating the cell cycle. Also, it is directly related to how cancer forms and the length of an organism's lifespan.

    10. bovine insulin

      This type of insulin is also known as beef insulin because it is extracted from the pancreas of cattle. Bovine insulin differs from human insulin because it is less soluble and absorbed by the body more slowly. Like human insulin, bovine insulin regulates how much glucose is administered to muscle and fat cells.

    11. corpora allata

      The glands that are attached to the brain of insects that produce juvenile hormones that help to promote gene expression in larva development.

    12. diapause,

      The pause that occurs in an insect during development.

    13. metamorphosis

      Transformation from juvenile to adult where the adult will have similar hormone levels before and after metamorphosis.

    14. versatile

      Able to adapt or be adapted to different functions. In this case, the juvenile hormone is a molecule that adjust to different environments.

    15. insulin-TOR (target of rapamacyn) signaling pathway

      The insulin/TOR pathway regulates a cell's and an organism's metabolism, and serves an essential function in controlling tissue growth and responses to starvation.

    1. white muscle

      Type of skeletal muscle that takes up most of the muscle of a fish.

    2. lateral

      From the side.

    3. dorsal

      The back of a body; posterior.

    4. hypodermic

      Relating to the region immediately beneath the skin.

    5. Grass stimulator

      A device that gives off electric impulses.

    6. electrical stimulus

      Using electric impulses (to contract muscles).

    7. post hoc

      Occurs after the event.

    8. ensonified area

      An area filled with sound.

    9. stationary dual frequency identification sonar (DIDSON)

      A multi-beam sonar used to detect fish up to 164 feet away from where the beam is being produced.

    10. echograms

      A test that uses high frequency sound waves (ultrasound) to detect a living thing.

    11. amplifier

      An electronic device that increase the power of a signal.

    12. apparatus

      Equipment being used.

    13. strain gauges

      A device used to measure strain on an object.

    14. thermocouple

      Sensor used to measure temperature.

    15. elongated

      Stretched out or extended.

    16. acceleration specialist

      Barracudas' swimming mode is accelerator specialists: they swim with moderate drag but maximized thrust when they almost "jump" out at their prey, which is locally available. Because of this, they are considered by fishermen to be like "lazy fish" for mostly sitting still in shady areas, waiting for prey to swim near them and pounce, rather than going to hunt.

    17. anterior

      Frontal; on the front.

    18. unloaded muscle

      Remodeling of muscle (atrophic response) as an adaptation to the reduced loads placed upon it; decrements occur in skeletal muscle strength, fatigue resistance, motor performance, and connective tissue integrity.

    19. deviation

      The amount by which a single measurement differs from a fixed value such as the mean.

    20. propulsive

      Creating enough force to result in movement.

    21. hydrodynamic

      Relating to the study of hydrodynamics: a branch of physics that deals with the motion of fluids and the forces acting on solid bodies immersed in fluids and in motion relative to them.

    22. accelerometers

      An electromechanical device that measures acceleration forces affecting something. These forces can be all sorts of things such as the force of gravity pulling you down at your feet.

    23. attainable

      Possible to have or achieve.

    24. unequivocally

      Without a doubt.

    25. accelerometry

      Use of a accelerometer to quantify movement

    26. anaerobic

      Relating to, involving, or requiring an absence of free oxygen.

    27. pelagic

      Of or relating to the open sea.

    28. cavitation

      The rapid formation and collapse of vapor pockets in a flowing liquid in regions of very low pressure.

    1. photosynthesis

      photosynthesis is the process in which plants use energy from the sun to transform carbon dioxide, water and minerals to oxygen and organic compounds

    2. perennial plants

      A perennial plant is one that persists for many growing seasons. Many will keep their leaves year round, while some may die back and re-grow from the same root system.

    3. constant liquid fertilizer (CLF)

      A constant liquid fertilizer is a water-soluble fertilizer that is added to irrigation water and applied to plants during watering times

    4. substrate

      The term substrate, in a agricultural science context, is a general term used when referring to the medium in which a plant/crop is grown.

    5. panicles

      A panicle is a flower cluster that typically grows at the end of a shoot or stem.

    6. Soil-Plant Analyses Development (SPAD)

      Soil-Plant Analysis Development refers to the method for estimating the chlorophyll content present in a plant leaf. This is typically accomplished using a handheld meter.

    7. (DAT)

      DAT is an acronym for days after treatment. This term is used in agronomy when keeping record of herbicide, fertilizer and pesticide treatments.

    8. Normalized Difference Vegetative Index (NDVI)

      The Normalized Difference Vegetative Index is calculated using the visible and near-infrared light reflected by vegetation.

    9. controlled release fertilizer (CRF)

      A controlled release fertilizer contains plant nutrients in a form that is not immediately available to the plant. A CRF provides the plant with nutrients for a longer period of time, throughout the growing season.

    10. Topdressed fertilizer treatments

      A topdressing refers to the process used to distribute fertilizer or manure to the surface layer of soil surrounding a crop.

    Tags

    Annotators

    1. iterated

      A process that is repeated several times until a desired outcome is reached.

    2. goodness-of-fit

      The extent to which observed data match the values expected by theory.

      In this context, the value P = 0.86 says that 86% of the values observed matched those predicted by the proposed model.

    3. coalescence

      This process happens when an unattached follower is combined to an aggregate, or when an aggregate is absorbed into another.

    4. shark-fin shapes

      The shapes resembling parts of a shark's body. These shapes are shown in the chart by an increase followed by an abrupt drop.

    5. embedded links

      Links that appear within a given post.

    6. application programming interfaces

      An Application Programming Interface (API) is a set of clearly defined methods of communication between various software components.

    7. ecosystem

      A community of interacting agents and their environment. In the context of this paper, the ecosystem has interacting agents (aggregates and followers), an environment (the Internet), and even predatory entities (police cybergroups, individual hackers, and website moderators).

    8. longitudinal records

      Records of the same variables, which in the case of this paper are hashtags that may suggest ISIS-related activity, observed over a given period of time.

    1. kurtosis

      A measure of peak sharpness for a distribution.

    2. skewedness

      A measure of asymmetry, primarily describing some distribution by reference to the tails of the dataset. Left skewed data has a tail that leans to the left and right skewed data has a tail that leans to the right.

    3. data

      A set of numbers or observations.

    4. Ovary

      A female organ that produces eggs.

    5. Oocyte

      An oocyte is an immature egg cell.

    6. disaccharide

      A disaccharide is two monosaccharides chemically linked together

    7. mass action

      Parasite moves through a homogeneous host population (of fruit fly cells in this case), attempting to occupy as many cells as possible.

    8. loci

      Plural for locus, a particular place or point.

    9. control

      A baseline or standard that allows scientists to ensure that their manipulation of some variable, such as a food type in this experiment, actually has an observable effect that deviates from the baseline or standard.

    10. titer

      The concentration of a solution, in this case, the concentration of Wolbachia bacteria in maternal germline cells.

    1. polytomies

      A point within a cladogram (a branching diagram) that contains more than two descendants.

    2. phylogenetic trees

      A tree diagram that demonstrates relationships between different species in their evolutionary track.

    3. genomics

      the branch of biology that studies structure, function, evolution, and mapping of genes.

    4. parsimony

      "Stinginess". The best hypothesis in making phylogenetic trees is the one that calls for the fewest evolutionary changes throughout time.

    5. syntenic

      Genetic detail from the same chromosome.

    6. kilobase

      Unit of measure for a nucleic-acid chain. Equals 1,000 bases.

    7. orthologous

      Mainly examined for prediction of gene function. Related through vertical descent from ancestors.

    8. codons

      A DNA or RNA molecule that is brought up by three nucleotides forming together.

    9. taxa

      Taxonomic group of any level: species, class, etc.

    10. nucleotides

      A compound that forms the basic structural unit of a nucleic acid.

    11. contiguous

      Similar, sharing something in common.

    12. bootstrap values

      Data at present used to predict that of entire population. Usually completed by the extraction of data, probably randomly, and re-tested. Essentially, bootstrap resembles the confidence level in the values resulted. The results don't necessarily have to be correct, its a measure of certainty.

    13. parameters

      A constant that defines the function of a certain study.

    14. concatenated

      A series of items or information linked together.

    15. phylogeny

      Branch of biology that deals with the evolutionary uniqueness of organisms.

    16. topologies

      Way in which big ideas or parts are connected or arranged to make sense.

    17. 106 protein-encoding genes

      Protein or DNA that have the same or similar sequencing due to their ancestry.

    18. phylogenetic signal

      A model-based measurement utilized in data sets of phylogenetic comparative analysis made up of qualitative traits observed of species related to the same phylogenetic tree.

    19. genes

      Hereditary information that offsprings receive from their parents which makes them unique.

    20. phylogenetic

      The evolutionary track an organism has taken that sets it apart from the rest.

    21. inexorable

      Unable to be stopped; unpreventable.

    22. advent

      The new development of something of high value and/or importance.

  2. Jan 2018
    1. ablate

      Remove or dissipate such as by melting, vaporization, erosion, etc.

    2. volatility

      The tendency for the substance to evaporate.

    3. promiscuous effect

      An un-selective approach to the cell membrane function. DEET has a selective effect on the cell membrane function.

    4. transient

      Lasting only for a short time.

    5. olfactory receptors

      Olfactory receptors are neurons that are responsible for the detection of odorants which allow the sense of smell. Olfactory receptors are one of three types of receptors used by mosquitos, the others include ionotropic receptors and gustatory receptors.

    6. proboscis extension reflex response

      The response to an antennal stimulation in which an insect stick out their proboscis, or tongue.

    7. anti-feedant

      A substance in certain that adversely affects insects or other animals that eat them.

    8. intrinsic

      Properties dependent on the chemical composition or structure of the material.

    9. quantifying

      A measurable/numerical method to gather data.

    10. RNAi injection

      RNA interference is a gene silencing mechanism that is triggered by the injection by introducing double stranded RNA into the cells.

    11. gustatory cues

      Cues related to eating and the sense of taste.

    12. microbial odorant geosmin

      An organic compound with a distinct earthy flavor and aroma produced by a type of Actinobacteria.

    13. genome editing

      A type of genetic engineering in which DNA is inserted, deleted or replaced in the genome.

    14. non-selective cation channels,

      Macromolecular pores in the cell membrane that form an aqueous pathway. Allows rapid flow of cations based on their electrochemical driving force.

    15. ligands

      A molecule that binds to a central metal atom to form a complex.

    16. heterologously

      Derived from a different organism.

    17. ion channels

      Tiny openings in the membrane that allow specific ions to pass through.

    18. sensilla

      An arthropod sensory organ that consists of a modified cell or small group of cells of the cuticle, typically hair- or rod-shaped cuticle.

    19. kairomones

      A chemical substance emitted by an organism and detected by another of a different species that gains advantage from this.

    20. behavioral genetics

      A field of study that uses genetic methods to investigate nature and origins of behavior.

    21. prescient

      Early in the discovery/ knowledge of the DEET modulation of multiple olfactory receptors

    1. Original publication date 11/01/1911 Reference 11

      THIS IS ME ANNOTATING.

      This is me looking at my annotation as I annotate.

    1. integument

      A tough outer protective layer.

    2. cDNA

      DNA synthesized from single-stranded RNA.

      .

    3. ectodermal dysplasia syndrome

      A genetic disease affecting the growth of hair, teeth, nails, and sweat glands.

    4. caudal, spinal, cervical, ventral, humeral, and femoral

      Caudal: pertaining to the tail

      Spinal: pertaining to the spine

      Cervical: pertaining to the neck

      Ventral: pertaining to the underside or abdominal part of the body

      Humeral: pertaining to the humerus (a bone in the arm)

      Femoral: pertaining to the femur (a bone in the leg)

    5. in-frame deletion

      Because an RNA sequence is read three bases at a time, if the number of bases deleted is a multiple of three, it will not change the reading frame.

    6. anatomical placode

      A thick, platelike structure in the ectoderm that is a site of development in early embryos.

    7. squamates

      Members of the order squamata, or scaled reptiles. They are the largest and most recent order of reptiles and comprise all lizards and snakes.

    8. placode

      A thickening of the ectoderm marking a site of future development of hair follicles, feathers, or teeth in the early embryo.

    9. fossil intermediate

      A transitional fossil that shows a transitional form between one species and another.

    10. sebocytes

      A cell that secretes sebum, an oily substance that waterproofs and lubricates skin.

    11. keratinized

      To change to a form that contains keratine, a fibrous protein found in hair, nails, and hooves.

    12. cryosections

      Sections of tissue that are made in a cryostat, a device that keeps samples at a very low temperature to preserve them.

    13. BMP

      A group of signaling molecules responsible for coordinating development in many different parts of the body.

    14. Extant

      Exists today.

    1. experimental

      A study is referred to as experimental if it contains random allocation of participants to experimental conditions or treatments in which a variable of interest is manipulated. Such experiments can allow claims that the manipulation has caused changes in outcomes.

      For example, if we wanted to study the influence of rewards during class on students’ biology exam scores in an experimental study, we would randomly assign students to two conditions: In condition 1, students would receive candy bars for active participation in class, whereas in condition 2, students would not receive any candy bars.

      Then we would observe the exam scores for each group of students, to judge if our candy-bar treatment improved the scores compared to the no-candy-bar control condition. We could then conclude if rewards cause better exam scores in this context.

    1. knockout

      A technique that allows a gene to be shut down and made nonfunctional. Researchers knock out genes to see what happens when they aren't active.

    1. Plastic debris

      Plastic debris is plastic waste that has accidentally or deliberately been released into the marine or terrestrial environment.

    2. waste management

      Waste management is the set of systems required to manage waste from when it is created to when it is finally disposed of. Steps of waste management include collection, transport, treatment, and disposal.

    3. plastic resin

      Plastic resin beads are the raw materials from which items such as plastic water bottles are made.

    4. persistence

      In this context, persistence means that the plastic materials are very stable and resistant to degradation.

    5. mitigation

      Mitigation is an action that reduces the severity or seriousness of a problem.

    6. extrapolated

      Extrapolation is the process of extending a graph or range of values by predicting unknown values from trends in the known data.

    1. warm mixed forest

      A temperate biome that is slightly warmer than the global average, marked by distinct seasons, sometimes with dry or rainy seasons. The forests are, as the name implies, of mixed composition. In this particular biome the predominant trees are broadleaf (ex: maple or oak) and conifers (ex: pine).

    2. temperate conifer forest

      A biome found in temperate regions with warm summers, cool winters, and enough precipitation to support coniferous trees ("evergreens").

    3. xerophytic shrubland

      Shrubs and plants that have adapted to survive in locations with very low amounts of liquid water, including deserts as well as regions with ice and snow.

    4. supply numerous services to people, including clean water, flood protection, carbon storage, and recreation

      People receive a wide range of benefits from the environment, and these benefits are sometimes referred to as "ecosystem services."

    5. 1σ

      The lowercase of the Greek letter sigma is used to indicate standard deviation. Here's a short video explanation: https://www.youtube.com/embed/MRqtXL2WX2M

    6. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change RCP scenarios

      These scenarios are different models of atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations. Descriptions of each model can be found in a special issue of Climate Change from November 2011: https://link.springer.com/journal/10584/109/1/page/1

  3. Dec 2017
    1. Paris Agreement of December 2015

      An agreement under the UNFCCC framework addressing three main aims:

      • lessening greenhouse gas emissions,
      • preparing for and negating the effects of climate change, and
      • financing dedicated to accomplish the previous two aims.

      Under the agreement, countries set targets to lessen global warming, develop plans to meet those targets, and report on their progress.

      The agreement was negotiated in Paris at the 21st Conference of the Parties of the UNFCCC in December 2015 and adopted in 2016.

    2. pollen-based reconstructions

      Pollen grains are made of materials that are highly resistant to breaking down in the environment, so they can be found in sediments going back thousands of years (and even further in the fossil record). The grains are diverse and researchers can identify the plant types they come from by examining them under a microscope. This allows researchers to see which seed-baring plants were in a given location in the past by taking sediment core samples and examining the pollen grains in each layer. The deeper the layer, the older the layer.

    3. Mediterranean basin

      The geographic area surrounding the Mediterranean Sea. There are many different sets of boundaries for this region used by researchers, historians, and others. For this paper, the authors use the region between longitudes 10°W to 45°E and latitudes 28°N to 48°N. The region can be seen in Figure 3, and an approximate map of the region is included here.

    1. pleurodont

      Tooth fused to the inner edge of the jaw. They are loosely attached and can regenerate if lost.

    2. autopod

      Part of the limb farthest from the body, such as the hand or foot.

    3. homozygous for a codominant mutation

      The scaleless bearded dragons have two copies of the same alleles (Sca). This gene is codominant, meaning both alleles are expressed even in heterozygotes.

    4. superposed

      Placed on top of one another.

    5. immunohistochemistry

      The use of antibodies to detect specific proteins in a tissue (using the principle that antibodies will selectively bind to certain antigens).

    6. nested subpopulation

      A subset of a larger population.

    7. histological analyses

      Analysis of the structure of a tissue.

    1. Neonicotinoid pesticides

      Pronounced "neo-NICK-uh-tin-oid." A large family of pesticides that is currently the most widely used type of pesticide in the world, for both commercial and home use. The "nicotin" refers to the biochemical similarities between these pesticides and nicotine, which itself evolved in plants as an herbivore repellent. Both chemicals work by affecting the nervous system and, in toxic doses, cause paralysis and death.

    1. annealing

      The process of how a single stranded DNA form hydrogen bonds with other complementary DNA strands to make double stranded DNA.Often used in the PCR steps of creating or mass producing certain DNA sequences. (EM)

    1. heterospecific individuals

      Heterospecific is used to classify organisms. "Hetero" means differ, and "specific" pertains to a particular subject/concept. Heterospecific means organisms that aren't the same species. ~J.D.A.

    2. conspecifics

      Conspecific is also like heterospecific as it pertains to classifying species. In the sentence it seems to be an opposing word to heterospecific. If heterospecific means organisms of differ species, then conspecfics must mean the opposite--must mean organisms of same species. ~J.D.A.

    3. Parsimony analysis

      Parsimony analysis deals with simplicity. In regards to science, there will be various explanations to certain phenomenon. According to parsimony analysis, the simplest explanation is the best one. ~J.D.A.

    4. tenable explanations

      Tenable is defined as something that can be "holdable". It could mean that something must have enough support for it to be upheld. In other words, if someone has an argument against an idea, the explanation should be enough to defend the concept. ~J.D.A.

    5. concordant variation

      Concordant means to agree. A variation of this word would be "concor", which has the same meaning. For this paper, the word may be used to describe how data collected seem to show the same variation or consistency. ~J.D.A.

    6. shoaled

      The word shoal describes a shallow body of water. This is synonymous to sandbars or elevated sand in beaches. Therefore, something that "shoals" means that it doesn't have much depth. ~J.D.A.

    7. strombinid gastropods

      Strombinid refers to the taxa Strombidae. It's a family of medium-sized conch sea snails. Gastropods is also another term used to describe the Mollusca phylum. ~J.D.A.

    8. intraoceanic divergences

      "Intra" means within. Divergence is when something separates. Thus, this word could mean how species diverge from each other from within the same oceanic community. ~J.D.A.

    9. classic allopatric model

      The classic allopatric model is also known as geographic speciation or the dumbbell model. Classic allopatric model is a kind of speciation that occurs when biological populations of the same species become isolated from each other. This isolation is what will prevent genetic exchange between the separated populations. ~S.Z.

    10. Fossil foraminiferal assemblages

      Foraminifera are single-celled planktonic animals. They have an external shell and a granular ectoplasm for catching their food. When they die their shell becomes part of seafloor matter. ~J.D.A.

    11. allozymes

      Allozyme is an enzyme. They are coded by differ alleles found at the same locus of the gene. They were studied in this experiment via taxonomic branching to map out closely related pairs. ~J.D.A.

    12. oxidase I (COI) gene

      A gene coding for the cytochrome oxidase enzyme. This enzyme is found in the mitochondrial membrane. It is responsible for catalyzing transfer of electrons to the oxygen atom. This is for the electron transport chain to make ATP as a product. ~J.D.A.

    13. unambiguously

      straightforward, clear. (SZ)

    14. sporadic

      Sporadic production is referring to production that occurs in an irregular manner. the fertile clutches will occur in at an inconsistent interval. ~S.Z

    15. transisthmian

      Transisthmian refers to the opposite sides of an isthmus. The authors utilize this term to portray that the shrimps that were measured were from opposite sides (Pacific side and Caribbean side) of the Isthmus of Panama. ~J.D.A. (DV)

    16. speciation

      Speciation is an evolutionary process where populations become distinct from each other over a long period of time and develop into a new species. (JP)

    17. phylogenetic

      Phylogeny refers to the study of evolutionary history among groups of organisms or individuals. The phylogenetic tree is a diagram that illustrates the relationships among species; this diagram is based on similarities and differences in the physical or genetic characteristics of different organisms. This diagram shows that all organisms originate from a single ancestor but have diverged due to speciation over a long period of time. (JP)

    18. taxa

      Taxonomy deals with naming and classifying organisms. A taxonomic group of any rank, such as a species, family, or class is a taxa. ~S.Z.

    19. molecular divergence

      The mutation rate of biomolecules is calculated and used narrow down the time in prehistory when two or more organisms diverged. (SZ)

    20. staggered isolation

      Staggered suggests that the occurrence or arrangement of events did not happen at the same time. Staggered isolation is the thought of organisms become genetically isolated at different events or moments in time, therefore leading to speciation of these organisms. (DV)

    21. Isthmus of Panama

      Isthmus is a stretch of narrow land that connects two large landmasses and separates two bodies of water.

      The Isthmus of Panama formed 3 million years ago connecting North America and South America, while separating the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean. (DV)

    22. sister taxa

      Taxa refers to taxonomical groups like species, family, or class. Taxa are used in classifying organisms based on relatedness of characteristics.

      Sister taxa refers to two groups in which the organisms derived from a common ancestral organism, therefore these two groups are very closely related. (DV)

    23. molecular divergence

      Divergence is the differentiation of something (like an organism's genetic information) from its common state.

      Molecular divergence is the differentiation between the nucleotide sequence in DNA or amino acid sequences in proteins of organisms. (DV)

    24. snapping shrimps (Alpheus)

      The snapping shrimp (Alpheus) is a species of shrimp well known for their asymmetrical claws which when closed produce a loud snapping noise. They borrow in the sand and attack their prey by quickly reaching out with their larger claw to capture it. (DV)

    25. divergence

      A process by which a species evolves into two or more descendant or different forms (SZ)

    26. gene flow

      This explains the process of gene transfer. Usually this is observed from shifts in genes between different populations. So lets say a blue bird from one population migrates out of its territory and mates with a brown bird from the new population, the allele frequency shifts. ~J.D.A.

    1. recombinant inbred lines

      Offspring that have different alleles than their parents as a result of genetic recombination (such as crossing over and random assortment of chromosomes which causes each sex cell to be different from the parents' sex cells). These offspring are then crossed with each other so that resulting generations have nearly identical genes.

    2. genotypes

      The genetic makeup of an individual inherited from one's parents. Genotypes are particularly important in determining which variant of an allele or trait that individual has. When the author says that 14 genotypes were sowed, they mean that 14 different combinations of the same genes were planted in the populations. The plants each had their own variety of these genes. This is an important distinction because a genotype does not mean that the plants had different genes. They simply had different varieties of them.