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.

  • Escaping Hard Times

    • The show, which is still aired weekly, helped launch the careers of numerous Country music luminaries such as Hank Williams, Patsy Cline, Bill Monroe, the Carter Family, Minnie Pearl, Dolly Parton, and Reba McEntire.