cline
noun
the gradual change in certain characteristics exhibited by members of a series of adjacent populations of organisms of the same species.
-clinal
-
a word derived from
-cline.
clinal
-
a word derived from
cline.
clinenounthe gradual change in certain characteristics exhibited by members of a series of adjacent populations of organisms of the same species.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
I show that global variation in phonemic diversity is clinal and, like our genetic diversity, fits a serial founder effect model of expansion from Africa.
From Science Magazine ● Feb. 9, 2012
Thus, these features change in a clinal fashion as one proceeds from, say, Humboldt County, California, northward to Astoria, Oregon.
From Speciation of the Wandering Shrew by James S. Findley
In Hypsiglena the scutellation, including the numbers of labials, dorsals, ventrals, and caudals, seem to vary in a clinal manner.
From The Amphibians and Reptiles of Michoacán, México by William E. Duellman
The clinal decrease in size from S. v. pacificus to S. v. setosus seems steepest in this area.
From Speciation of the Wandering Shrew by James S. Findley
The number of pale specimens in any given series decreases gradually in a clinal pattern from west to east.
From Geographic Variation in the Pocket Gopher, Thomys bottae, in Colorado by Phillip M. Youngman
