Exam 24: Speciation

Why is speciation by polyploidy more likely in plants than in animals?

Use the following description to answer the question(s) below. The Isthmus of Panama (a narrow strip of land connecting North and South America) started rising about 10 million years ago. The Pacific and Caribbean oceans were completely separated by the isthmus about 3 million years ago. Researchers have examined species of snapping shrimp on both sides of the isthmus. Based on the morphological species concept, there appear to be seven pairs of species, with one species of each pair in the Pacific and the other in the Caribbean. The different species pairs live at somewhat different depths in the ocean. Using mitochondrial DNA sequences, the researchers estimated phylogenies and found that each of these species pairs, separated by the isthmus, were indeed each other's closest relatives. The researchers investigated mating in the lab and found that many species pairs seldom courted each other, and those that did mate seldom produced fertile offspring. (N. Knowlton, L. A. Weigt, L. A. Solorzano, D. K. Mills, and E. Bermingham. 1993. Divergence in proteins, mitochondrial DNA, and reproductive incompatibility across the Isthmus of Panama. Science 260:1629-32.) -There are currently two large, permanent bridges that span the Panama Canal. The bridges are about eight miles apart. If snapping shrimp avoid swimming at night and avoid swimming under shadows, then what do these bridges represent for the snapping shrimp?

In which habitat should one find snapping shrimp most closely related to shrimp that live in habitat A4?

Which of the following describes the most likely order of events in allopatric speciation?

The phenomenon of fusion is likely to occur when, after a period of geographic isolation, two populations meet again and ________.

Which process led to the formation of the species pairs of Pacific and Caribbean snapping shrimp?

Use the following description to answer the question(s) below. On the Bahamian island of Andros, mosquitofish populations live in various, now-isolated, freshwater ponds that were once united. Currently, some predator-rich ponds have mosquitofish that can swim in short, fast bursts; other predator-poor ponds have mosquitofish that can swim continuously for a long time. When placed together in the same body of water, the two kinds of female mosquitofish exhibit exclusive breeding preferences. -Which two of the following have operated to increase divergence between mosquitofish populations on Andros? 1) improved gene flow 2) bottleneck effect 3) sexual selection 4) founder effect 5) natural selection

Male frogs give calls that attract female frogs to approach and mate. Researchers examined mating calls of closely related tree frogs in South America. If reinforcement is occurring, what would you expect if you compare the calls of the two species in zones of sympatry versus zones of allopatry?

Suppose that a group of male pied flycatchers migrated from a region where there were no collared flycatchers to a region where both species were present. Assuming events like this are very rare, which of the following scenarios is LEAST likely?

Which of the following does NOT tend to promote speciation?

A hybrid zone is properly defined as ________.

A small number of birds arrive on an island from a neighboring larger island. This small population begins to adapt to the new food plants available on the island as selection favors those birds with larger beaks. About twice a year, one or two more birds from the neighboring island arrive. These new arrivals ________.

Which of the following statements explains why animals are less likely than plants to speciate by polyploidy?

House finches were found only in western North America until 1939, when a few individuals were released in New York City. These individuals established a breeding population and gradually expanded their range. The western population also expanded its range somewhat eastward, and the two populations have recently come in contact. If the two forms were unable to interbreed when their expanding ranges met, it would be an example of ________.

The origin of a new plant species by hybridizing two existing species, coupled with accidents during cell division, is an example of ________.

A female fly, full of fertilized eggs, is swept by high winds to an island far out to sea. She is the first fly to arrive on this island and the only fly to arrive in this way. Thousands of years later, her numerous offspring occupy the island, but none of them resembles her. There are, instead, several species, each of which eats only a certain type of food. None of the species can fly and their balancing organs (halteres) are now used in courtship displays. The male members of each species bear modified halteres that are unique in appearance to their species. Females bear vestigial halteres. The ranges of all of the daughter species overlap. Fly species W, found in a certain part of the island, produces fertile offspring with species Y. Species W does not produce fertile offspring with species X or Z. If no other species can hybridize, then which of the following statements about species W and Y is/are TRUE? I. Species W and Y have genomes that are still similar enough for successful meiosis to occur in hybrid flies. II. Species W and Y have more genetic similarity with each other than either did with the other two species. III. Species W and Y may fuse into a single species if their hybrids remain fertile over the course of many generations.