Question

Imagine that a zoo in Sri Lanka has started an elephant-breeding program. Zookeepers have introduced an Indian and Sri Lankan elephant into the same enclosure. What will be the result of this mating?

a. These elephants will produce infertile offspring (i.e., like a mule).
b. These elephants will fail to produce fertile offspring.
c. This mating will demonstrate that these elephants are members of the same species and will produce fertile offspring.
d. This mating will demonstrate that these elephants are not members of the same species.
e. This mating will demonstrate that these elephants are reproductively isolated from each other.

Answer 1

When an Indian elephant and a Sri Lankan elephant mate and produce fertile offspring, it demonstrates that they are members of the same species and are not reproductively isolated. So the correct option is c.

Step-by-step explanation:

When two animals from closely related species, such as the Indian and Sri Lankan elephants, are bred in a zoo's elephant-breeding program, the result can provide insights into their species classification and reproductive compatibility. In this scenario, if the mating results in fertile offspring, it can be deduced that the two elephants belong to the same species and are not reproductively isolated. This indicates that they do not have any prezygotic or postzygotic barriers that prevent them from reproducing successfully. Therefore, the most accurate answer to the student's question would be (c) This mating will demonstrate that these elephants are members of the same species and will produce fertile offspring.

Answer 2

Answer: c. This mating will demonstrate that these elephants are members of the same species and will produce fertile offspring.

Step-by-step explanation:

A species is a group of organisms capable of interbreeding to produce viable offsprings. The Sri Lankan Elephant and the Indian Elephant are the same species so, they will produce fertile offsprings. Because they are from different geographical location does not mean they won't mate and produce fertile offsprings.