Put the following stages of allopatric speciation in a terrestrial beetle population in the correct order. i. Mutation, drift, and selection act separately on the two subpopulations, and they become increasingly divergent.
Ii) A river dries up, and the population has continuous geographic range with reproductive barriers that reduce gene flow between certain individuals.
Iii) A river physically divides the population into two subpopulations.
Iv) The population has continuous geographic range with some genetic variation.

A) iv, ii, i, iii
B) iv, iii, i, ii
C) ii, iii, i, iv
D) ii, iii, iv, i

Question

Samantha Maria Palie · Accepted Answer

Final Answer : B, Explanation :  Allopatric speciation begins with a population that has a continuous geographic range and genetic variation (iv). A physical barrier, such as a river, divides the population into two subpopulations (iii). Over time, mutation, drift, and selection act separately on these subpopulations, causing them to diverge genetically (i). The scenario described in option ii, where a river dries up and reproductive barriers reduce gene flow, does not fit into the sequence of events for allopatric speciation as described.

Definitions

Learning Objectives

Learning Objectives

Related questions