Relating to or describing variation within a population or species that shows a gradual change in traits in one direction.
From endo- (within) + clin- (from Greek klinein, 'to lean' or 'to slope') + -al. This term describes environmental or genetic gradients within populations.
Scientists use 'endoclinal' to describe situations like how bird beak sizes gradually shift across a geographic range—it's microevolution happening continuously across space rather than between isolated populations.
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