Question

A squirrel population expands northwards across two sides of a mountain range. Eventually, after several thousand years of isolation, individuals from each side of the mountain range come back into contact at the northern edge of the mountains. By this time, the eastern squirrel population has a dark brown

coat color and the western population is tan. Scientists observe tan females mating with dark brown males, but their offspring are medium brown and have an elevated rate of getting eaten by hawks. Under the Biological Species Concept, are the tan and dark brown squirrel populations considered different species?
a) yes
b) no

Answer 1

According to the Biological Species Concept, tan and dark brown squirrel populations would be considered different species if they cannot mate and produce viable offspring. An example of allopatric speciation in the Grand Canyon supports this concept.

Step-by-step explanation:

According to the Biological Species Concept, tan and dark brown squirrel populations would be considered different species if they cannot mate and produce viable offspring. In this case, tan females are mating with dark brown males, and their offspring are medium brown and have an elevated rate of predation by hawks. This suggests that there is reduced fitness and reproductive isolation between the two populations, indicating that they are likely diverging into separate species.

An example of allopatric speciation, where two populations become separate species due to geographic isolation, is seen in the case of Kaibab squirrels in the Grand Canyon. The north rim squirrels have a completely white tail, while the south rim squirrels have a dark tail. They cannot mate with each other, leading to the classification of separate species.