cline
n.n. a gradual change in a physical or biological trait across a specific area. It is like a smooth slope where one thing slowly turns into another.
n. a gradual change in a trait or characteristic across a geographic or environmental gradient. Often used in biology to describe the transition between species or in linguistics to describe a shift in language features.
The cline in temperature is very noticeable as you move up the mountain.
Biologists observed a cline in the size of the birds as they moved from the coastal regions to the interior forests.
The study identified a sharp cline in genetic markers between the northern and southern populations, suggesting a recent barrier to gene flow that has persisted for several generations.
From Ancient Greek κλῑ́νω (klī́nō, “to lean, incline”). Introduced by English evolutionary biologist and eugenicist Julian Huxley in 1938 after British mycologist John Ramsbottom suggested the term.
From c(ircle) + line; compare circline.