Question

A species is a group of organisms capable of mating and producing offspring, and speculation is the process of forming a new species. One way a new species may form is by geographic isolation. This occurs when members of a population are physically separated, for example, by a river, or a desert. After the separation the two populations, responding to different conditions, will adapt differently, and so their evolutionary paths will

a. converge.
b. dissect.
c. diverge.
d. reverse.

Answer 1

a. Diverge, is the answer to the question.

Answer 2

The answer is c. diverge.

When a new species form by geographic isolation, it is called geographical speciation or allopatric speciation. In this case, divergence evolution occurs. This is because of physical separation which prevents gene flow between distinct populations. These populations will eventually diverge and members of the populations, which once belonged to the same species, will no longer be able to mate and produce offspring. Eventually, the formation of new species will occur.