Answer:
the speciation of the gray tree frog and the green tree frog in the given scenario is likely a result of natural selection caused by the change in habitat from woodlands to grasslands, leading to differences in their mating calls.
Step-by-step explanation:
the change in the environment from woodlands to grasslands due to climatic changes led to speciation, resulting in the gray tree frog and the green tree frog having different mating calls. This suggests that speciation occurred because of natural selection.
Here's an explanation of how this process might have occurred:
1. Initially, both the gray tree frog and the green tree frog shared a common ancestor and had similar mating calls.
2. When the climatic changes caused most of the trees in the region to die, the woodlands transformed into grasslands.
3. This change in habitat created a new selective pressure on the tree frogs. The gray tree frogs, which were adapted to the trees in the woodlands, faced difficulties surviving in the new grassland environment.
4. However, the green tree frogs, which had a broader habitat range and could survive in both woodlands and grasslands, were better suited to the new environment.
5. Over time, the gray tree frog population in the grasslands declined, while the green tree frog population thrived.
6. As the populations became isolated from each other, natural selection acted on the genetic variations present within each population.
7. The different mating calls between the gray tree frog and the green tree frog might have developed as a result of sexual selection. Frogs with mating calls that were most attractive or effective in their respective environments were more likely to reproduce and pass on their genetic traits.
8. Eventually, the genetic differences between the gray tree frog and the green tree frog became significant enough that they were considered separate species