Ecotype

Ecotypes, or ecospecies, are organisms which belong to the same species but possess different phenotypical features as a result of environmental factors such as elevation, climate and predation. Ecotypes can be seen in wide geographical distributions and may eventually lead to speciation.

Ecotypes, or ecospecies, are organisms which belong to the same species but possess different phenotypical features as a result of environmental factors such as elevation, climate and predation. Ecotypes can be seen in wide geographical distributions and may eventually lead to speciation. ==Summary== An ecotype refers to organisms which belong to the same species but have different phenotypical characteristics as a result of their adaptations to different habitats. Differences between these two groups is attributed to phenotypic plasticity and are too few for them to be termed as wholly different species. Emergence of variants of the same species may occur in the same geographical region where different habitats provide distinct ecological niches for these organisms. Examples of these habitats include meadows, forests, swamps, and sand dunes. Where similar ecological conditions occur in widely separated places, it is possible for a similar ecotype to occur in the separated locations. An ecotype is different from a subspecies, which may exist across a number of different habitats. In animals, ecotypes owe their differing characteristics to the effects of a very local environment which has been hypothesized to lead to speciation through the emergence of reproductive barriers. Therefore, ecotypes have no taxonomic rank. ==Terminology== Ecotypes are closely related to morphs or polymorphisms which is defined as the existence of distinct phenotypes among members of the same species. Another term closely related is genetic polymorphism; and it is when species of the same population display variation in a specific DNA sequence, i.e. as a result of having more than one allele in a gene's locus.. In order to be classified as such, morphs must occupy the same habitat at the same time and belong to a panmictic population (whose members can all potentially interbreed). Polymorphism are maintained in populations of species by natural selection. In fact, Begon, Townsend, and Harper assert that The notions "form" and "ecotype" may appear to correspond to a static phenomenon, however; this is not always the case. Evolution occurs continuously both in time and space, so that ecotypes or forms may qualify as distinct species in a few generations. Begon, Townsend, and Harper offer the following analogy: Thus ecotypes and morphs can be thought of as precursory steps of potential speciation. ==Range and distribution== ecotypes and their distribution in North America]] Research indicates that sometimes ecotypes manifest when separated by great geographical distances as a result of genetic drift that may lead to significant genetic differences and hence variation. Ecotypes may also emerge from local adaptation of species occupying small geographical scales ( Cope, 1865 , described in the nineteenth century from a specimen collected in the Delaware River. The warbler finch and the Cocos Island finch are viewed as separate ecotypes. an ecotype of Artemisia campestris ]]The aromatic plant Artemisia campestris also known as the field sagewort grows in a wide range of habitats from North America to the Atlantic coast and also in Eurasia. It has different forms arccoding to the environment where it grows. One variety which grows on shifting dunes at Falstrebo on the coast of Sweden has broad leaves, and white hairs while exhibiting upright growth. Another variety that grows in Oland in calcareous rocks displays horizontally expanded branches with no upright growth. These two extreme types are considered different varieties. Other examples include Artemisia campestris var. borealis which occupies the west of the Cascades crest in the Olympic Mountains in Washington while Artemisia campestris var. wormskioldii grows on the east side. The Northern wormwood, var. borealis has spike like-inflorescences with leaves concentrated on the plant base and divided into long narrow lobes. Wormskiold's northern wormwood, Artemisia campestris var. wormskioldii is generally shorter and hairy with large leaves surrounding the flowers. The Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) has 20 different ecotypes in an area from Scotland to Siberia, all capable of interbreeding. Ecotype distinctions can be subtle and do not always require large distances; it has been observed that two populations of the same Helix snail species separated by only a few hundred kilometers prefer not to cross-mate, i.e., they reject one another as mates. This event probably occurs during the process of courtship, which may last for hours. ==See also== Adaptation Ecophenotypic variation Biological classification Cline (biology) Ecotope Epigenetics Evolution Polymorphism (biology) Ring species Speciation Species problem Terroir Evidence for speciation by reinforcement ==References==

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