Question

Part A A researcher notices that in a certain moth species, some females prefer to feed and lay eggs on domesticated solanaceous plants like potatoes and tomatoes. Other females prefer to feed and lay eggs on wild solanaceous plants such as Datura. Both male and female moths primarily use scent to find these plants from afar. Females tend to mate where they feed, and the researcher finds a genetic basis for scent preference in these moths. Based on the above information, what might be occurring in this moth species? A researcher notices that in a certain moth species, some females prefer to feed and lay eggs on domesticated solanaceous plants like potatoes and tomatoes. Other females prefer to feed and lay eggs on wild solanaceous plants such as Datura. Both male and female moths primarily use scent to find these plants from afar. Females tend to mate where they feed, and the researcher finds a genetic basis for scent preference in these moths. Based on the above information, what might be occurring in this moth species? polyploidization divergence due to habitat fragmentation divergence in sympatry postzygotic isolation

Answer 1

Answer: The correct answer to the question is DIVERGENCE IN SYMPATRY.

Explanation: SYMPATRY is defined as when population or species of a particular organism live in the same geographic area,or live close enough to each other, enough to make interbreeding possible.

Divergence in sympatry come to play when new population becomes to diverge due to selection.

Divergence in sympatry occurs even if there is limited interbreeding where the two groups or species come in contact,so there is no geographic constraint when it comes to to interbreeding.

This clearly explains what happened in the question between the mother species that prefer to feed and lay eggs on domesticated solanaceous plants like potatoes and tomatoes and the other females that prefer to feed and lay eggs on wild solanaceous plants such as Datura and also how both male and female moths primarily use scent to find these plants from afar without any geographic constraint.

Answer 2

The correct answer is Divergence in sympatry.

Step-by-step explanation:

Sympatry: Refers to two similar species that coincide in part or their whole distribution area. There are two ways in which two species can reach sympatry.

• Two species that originated in different areas, expanded and met each other in a concrete geographic place. In this case, both species compete for resources and one of them displaces the other one, or the two species might segregate and make use of different niches.

• Two species suffered sympatric speciation, they both have the same ancestor and originated in the same place. In the distribution area of the original species, there were differences in the populations´ microhabitats, and they were submitted to different environmental pressures, such as dense or clear forest, presence or absence of predators, among others. These pressures could lead to certain differences that could have driven to the final isolation of one of the populations. These populations suffer genetic changes due to the environmental conditions that are inheritable.

What might be occurring in the exposed example is that the species is diverging in sympatry, as some females prefer domesticated plant species while some other prefer wild species. These moths will probably develop strategies and structures that make them more adapted to each environment, which will eventually make them be different from each other and will probably cause speciation.