Question

Because the 17 and the 13 Cicada have different breeding seasons and experience temporal isolation, what will probably never happen between the different species?

Option 1: Gene flow
Option 2: Mutations in the gene pool
Option 3: Changes in allele frequencies
Option 4: Overproduction in offspring

Answer 1

Due to temporal isolation between the 17- and 13-year Cicadas, gene flow between the different species will probably never happen, keeping them genetically distinct. The correct option is 1 Gene flow.

Step-by-step explanation:

The 17 and 13 Cicadas have different breeding seasons, which leads to temporal isolation, one of many types of prezygotic barriers that prevent different species from interbreeding. As a result, these cicadas will likely not experience gene flow between their populations, given they are reproductively isolated. Gene flow is the transfer of genetic material between separate populations which can lead to changes in allele frequencies over time; therefore, without gene flow, these cicada populations will remain genetically distinct from each other. However, this form of isolation does not necessarily prevent mutations within each population's gene pool, changes in allele frequencies due to other evolutionary mechanisms, or overproduction of offspring within each isolated population.