cline

(noun)

a gradation in a character or phenotype within a species or other group

Related Terms

Examples of cline in the following topics:

  • Nonrandom Mating and Environmental Variance

    • One type of geographic variation, called a cline, can be seen as populations of a given species vary gradually across an ecological gradient.
    • This is considered a latitudinal cline.
    • Alternatively, flowering plants tend to bloom at different times depending on where they are along the slope of a mountain, known as an altitudinal cline.
    • If there is gene flow between the populations, the individuals will likely show gradual differences in phenotype along the cline.

  • Genetic Variation

    • One example of geographic variation are clines: graded changes in a character down a geographic axis.