annidation

== English == === Etymology === From Latin ad (“to”) and nidus (“nest”). Coined by German biologist and university teacher Wilhelm Ludwig in 1950 as "a fifth evolutionary factor". === Noun === annidation (plural annidations) (ecology) The adaptation of the various genotypes to different ecological niches, such as where a mutant form of a species is maintained in a population because it can flourish in a way that the parent organisms cannot. Flax grew more rapidly and matured earlier than linseed and this difference in timing of growth led to annidation. === References === === Anagrams === notidanian