C2 · 50 words
Evolutionary biology in Spanish
Selection, drift, speciation and relatedness — the language in which descent is studied.
La eficacia biológica is fitness, and this is the one place where English borrowed trouble from its own gym. « Fitness » on a poster is being in shape; « fitness » in this field is a count of descendants and nothing else — a sickly animal that leaves twelve young is fitter than a magnificent one that leaves none. Spanish never risks the confusion, because the two are separate words: la forma físicafor the bodyla eficacia biológicafor the count Reading « the fittest » as « the strongest » is the oldest mistake in the subject, and only English spelling invites it.
The words
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Phrase (44)
la biología evolutivathe study that explains likeness by descent rather than by designPhraseC2
La biología evolutiva explica el parecido por descendencia.Evolutionary biology explains likeness by descent.
la variación heredablethe differences between individuals that get passed onPhraseC2
La variación heredable es la materia prima de todo.Heritable variation is the raw material of all of it.
la selección naturalthe sorting that works on what is already therePhraseC2
La selección natural actúa sobre el que ya existe.Natural selection acts on what already exists.
la selección direccionalthe sorting that moves the average of a trait one wayPhraseC2
La selección direccional desplaza la media del rasgo.Directional selection shifts the mean of the trait.
la selección estabilizadorathe sorting that punishes both extremes of a traitPhraseC2
La selección estabilizadora castiga los extremos.Stabilising selection punishes the extremes.
la selección disruptivathe sorting that favours both extremes of a trait at oncePhraseC2
La selección disruptiva favorece los dos extremos a la vez.Disruptive selection favours both extremes at once.
la selección sexualthe sorting done by mates rather than by survivalPhraseC2
La selección sexual puede oponerse a la supervivencia.Sexual selection can work against survival.
la elección de parejathe choosing of a mate, which explains many expensive traitsPhraseC2
La elección de pareja explica muchos rasgos costosos.Mate choice explains many costly traits.
el principio del hándicapthe rule that a signal is believed because it costs somethingPhraseC2
El principio del hándicap hace creíble la señal por su coste.The handicap principle makes the signal credible by its cost.
la eficacia biológicahow many descendants something leaves, which is all the word meansPhraseC2
La eficacia biológica se mide en descendientes, no en fuerza.Biological fitness is measured in descendants, not in strength.
la eficacia inclusivathe same count of descendants with a relative's added inPhraseC2
La eficacia inclusiva cuenta también los genes del pariente.Inclusive fitness counts the relative's genes as well.
la selección de parentescothe sorting that explains why a creature helps its own familyPhraseC2
La selección de parentesco explica el altruismo entre hermanos.Kin selection explains altruism between siblings.
la deriva genéticathe change of frequencies by chance alone, loudest where the population is smallPhraseC2
La deriva genética pesa más en poblaciones pequeñas.Genetic drift weighs more in small populations.
el efecto fundadorthe poverty of a population started by a handful of individualsPhraseC2
El efecto fundador empobrece la variedad inicial.The founder effect impoverishes the starting variety.
el cuello de botella poblacionalthe same poverty, caused by a crash instead of a foundingPhraseC2
El cuello de botella poblacional deja huella durante milenios.A population bottleneck leaves its mark for millennia.
el flujo génicothe moving of genes between populations, which keeps them onePhraseC2
El flujo génico impide que dos poblaciones se separen.Gene flow keeps two populations from separating.
la frecuencia alélicahow common one version of a gene is, the frequencies counted each generationPhraseC2
La frecuencia alélica cambia de generación en generación.Allele frequency changes from generation to generation.
el equilibrio de Hardy y Weinbergwhat the frequencies would do if nothing at all were actingPhraseC2
El equilibrio de Hardy y Weinberg describe el caso sin fuerzas.The Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium describes the case with no forces.
el polimorfismo equilibradothe keeping of two versions side by side instead of one winningPhraseC2
El polimorfismo equilibrado mantiene dos variantes a la vez.Balanced polymorphism keeps two variants at the same time.
la ventaja del heterocigotothe reason a harmful version survives: one copy is better than nonePhraseC2
La ventaja del heterocigoto conserva un alelo dañino.Heterozygote advantage preserves a harmful allele.
la carga genéticathe pile of slightly harmful mutations a population carriesPhraseC2
La carga genética acumula mutaciones ligeramente dañinas.Genetic load piles up slightly harmful mutations.
la mutación neutrathe mutation that changes how many descendants there are not at allPhraseC2
La mutación neutra no cambia la eficacia.A neutral mutation does not change fitness.
el reloj molecularthe dating of a split by how many neutral changes have piled upPhraseC2
El reloj molecular data la separación de dos linajes.The molecular clock dates the separation of two lineages.
el linaje evolutivoa line of descent, read backwards from the living and never forwardsPhraseC2
El linaje evolutivo se sigue hacia atrás, no hacia adelante.An evolutionary lineage is followed backwards, not forwards.
el ancestro comúnthe one both lines come from, which need look like neitherPhraseC2
El ancestro común no tiene por qué parecerse a ninguno.The common ancestor need not look like either of them.
la especiación alopátricathe splitting of a species that began with a barrier on the mapPhraseC2
La especiación alopátrica empieza con una barrera geográfica.Allopatric speciation begins with a geographical barrier.
la especiación simpátricathe splitting of a species with no barrier on the map at allPhraseC2
La especiación simpátrica ocurre sin separación física.Sympatric speciation happens without physical separation.
el aislamiento reproductivono longer being able to breed together, which is what names a speciesPhraseC2
El aislamiento reproductivo define la especie biológica.Reproductive isolation defines the biological species.
la barrera precigóticathe barrier that stops the mating from ever happeningPhraseC2
La barrera precigótica impide que llegue a haber cruce.The prezygotic barrier stops any mating from happening.
la barrera poscigóticathe barrier that lets it happen and leaves the young infertilePhraseC2
La barrera poscigótica deja híbridos estériles.The postzygotic barrier leaves sterile hybrids.
la zona híbridathe narrow strip where two forms meet and mix, for centuriesPhraseC2
La zona híbrida se mantiene estrecha durante siglos.The hybrid zone stays narrow for centuries.
la radiación adaptativaone line filling a set of empty ways of living, and quicklyPhraseC2
La radiación adaptativa llena nichos vacíos deprisa.Adaptive radiation fills empty niches quickly.
la convergencia evolutivatwo lines arriving at the same answer without sharing itPhraseC2
La convergencia evolutiva inventa el ojo varias veces.Evolutionary convergence invents the eye several times.
la analogía morfológicathe likeness two creatures built separately, which looks the samePhraseC2
La analogía morfológica engaña al que no mira el desarrollo.Morphological analogy fools whoever ignores development.
el órgano vestigialthe part kept in shape long after its work was gonePhraseC2
El órgano vestigial conserva la forma sin la función.The vestigial organ keeps the shape without the function.
la restricción del desarrollothe limit on what can appear at all, set by how a body is builtPhraseC2
La restricción del desarrollo limita lo que puede surgir.Developmental constraint limits what can arise.
la compensación entre rasgosthe bargain that stops everything from being improved at oncePhraseC2
La compensación entre rasgos impide optimizarlo todo.The trade-off between traits stops everything being optimised.
la carrera armamentística biológicathat answer given back and forth when it never settlesPhraseC2
La carrera armamentística biológica no termina nunca.The biological arms race never ends.
el árbol filogenéticothe drawing of who is related to whom, which has no topPhraseC2
El árbol filogenético no tiene una cima.The phylogenetic tree has no summit.
el carácter derivado compartidothe shared feature that is new, which groups; the old one does notPhraseC2
El carácter derivado compartido agrupa; el primitivo no.The shared derived character groups; the primitive one does not.
la parsimonia filogenéticathe preferring of the tree that needs the fewest changesPhraseC2
La parsimonia filogenética prefiere el árbol con menos cambios.Phylogenetic parsimony prefers the tree with the fewest changes.
el registro fósilwhat the rocks kept, which is patchy by the nature of keepingPhraseC2
El registro fósil es incompleto por construcción.The fossil record is incomplete by construction.
la forma de transiciónwhat the rocks kept of a creature with features of two groupsPhraseC2
La forma de transición combina rasgos de dos grupos.The transitional form combines traits of two groups.
la extinción masivathe dying of very many lines at once, and the room it leavesPhraseC2
La extinción masiva abre espacio a los que quedan.Mass extinction makes room for those that remain.
Noun (f) (4)
la homologíathe likeness two creatures got from the same ancestorNoun (f)C2
La homología procede de un ancestro compartido.Homology comes from a shared ancestor.
la exaptaciónthe part that was useful for one thing and got taken up for anotherNoun (f)C2
La exaptación reutiliza un rasgo para otra cosa.Exaptation puts a trait to a different use.
la coevolucióntwo lines changing each other, each in answer to the otherNoun (f)C2
La coevolución empareja a la flor con su polinizador.Coevolution pairs the flower with its pollinator.
la filogeniathe working out of who is related to whom, from shared featuresNoun (f)C2
La filogenia se reconstruye con caracteres compartidos.Phylogeny is reconstructed from shared characters.
Noun (m) (2)
el mimetismothe copying of a dangerous species by one that is notNoun (m)C2
El mimetismo copia a una especie peligrosa.Mimicry copies a dangerous species.
el cladoan ancestor and every descendant of it, with nobody left outNoun (m)C2
El clado incluye al ancestro y a toda su descendencia.A clade includes the ancestor and all its descendants.
This list belongs to Nature and natural sciences — 31 lists and 1550 words that can also be practised as a whole.
Practise this list
From these 50 words, as many per round as you like — up to all of them: first what is due today, then new ones. First you choose, then you fill the gap, then you write it yourself. Mistakes come back again shortly.