4.6.3.2 Speciation

Question 1

What is speciation?

Answer 1

• process of a new species developing through the selection of different alleles

Question 2

What does speciation increase?

Answer 2

• genetic variation until new population cannot breed with those in the old population to produce fertile offspring

Question 3

Who developed the theory of speciation and therefore evolution by natural selection?

Answer 3

• Alfred Russel Wallace

Question 4

What happened on Wallace’s travel?

Answer 4

• he had the idea that the individuals who did not have characteristics to help them survive a change in the environment would die out

Question 5

What did Wallace publish?

Answer 5

• joint studies with Darwin

Question 6

What did the publication of ‘On the Origin of Species’ mean?

Answer 6

• Dawin received credit for the theory

Question 7

What did Wallace continue to do?

Answer 7

• work across the world to collect evidence
• one of his most important works was on warning colouration in animals

Question 8

What is the first step of speciation?

Answer 8

• variation exists within a population as a result of genetic mutations

Question 9

What is the second step of speciation?

Answer 9

• alleles (which provide survival advantages) are selected for natural selection

Question 10

What is the third step of speciation?

Answer 10

• populations of species can become isolated, preventing breeding

Question 11

What is the fourth step of speciation?

Answer 11

• different alleles may be advantageous in new environment, leading them to be selected

Question 12

What is the fifth step of speciation?

Answer 12

• over time the selection of different alleles will increases genetic variation between two populations

Question 13

What is the sixth step of speciation?

Answer 13

• when they are no longer able to breed to produce fertile offspring, new species formed