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WABiologyQuick questions
Unit 3: Continuity of Species
Quick questions on Speciation and isolating mechanisms: WACE Year 12 Biology
3short Q&A pairs drawn directly from our worked dot-point answer. For full context and worked exam questions, read the parent dot-point page.
What is the biological species concept?Show answer
A biological species is a group of organisms that can interbreed in nature to produce fertile offspring. The key to speciation is therefore the loss of the ability to interbreed: once gene flow between two populations stops, their gene pools can diverge independently until they become separate species.
What is allopatric speciation?Show answer
Allopatric speciation happens when a population is split by a geographic barrier such as a mountain range, river, sea or expanding desert. The steps are:
What is sympatric speciation?Show answer
Sympatric speciation occurs without a physical barrier, while populations share the same area. Reproductive isolation arises through other means, such as a shift to a different food source, a change in breeding time, or chromosomal changes that prevent interbreeding. It is less common than allopatric speciation but can occur rapidly.
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