deme (d m)n. 1. One of the townships of ancient Attica. 2. Ecology A local, usually stable population of interbreeding organisms of the same kind or species. [Greek d mos, people, land; see d - in Indo-European roots.] |
deme [diːm]
n
1. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) (Historical Terms)
a. (in preclassical Greece) the territory inhabited by a tribe
b. (in ancient Attica) a geographical unit of local government
2. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Biology) Biology a group of individuals within a species that possess particular characteristics of cytology, genetics, etc.
[from Greek dēmos district in local government, the populace]
| deme (dm) A small, locally interbreeding group of organisms within a larger population. Demes are isolated reproductively from other members of their species, although the isolation may only be partial and is not necessarily permanent. Because they share a somewhat restricted gene pool, members of a deme generally differ morphologically to some degree from members of other demes. See also population. |
Want to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit the webmaster's page for free fun content.
| ?Page tools | ||
|---|---|---|
|