Question

What are the function of speciation ?illustrate with example

Answer 1

A species is a group of individuals that are genetically able to mate in nature and produce fertile offspring. The process of evolution has given rise to the diversity of species we see on Earth. Evolution is a process that explains how organisms have diversified and descended from earlier forms of organisms over time. Essentially that means all species living on earth have derived from a common ancestor. Speciation is an evolutionary process that leads to the formation of a new species.

Natural Selection and Speciation

For a new species to form, individuals of a population need to be reproductively isolated from one another. This isolation can occur in many ways, such as the separation of a population by a mountain range or body of water. This separation isolates individuals to a new environment. Over time, traits that are best suited to this different environment become dominant in this isolated population. This is called natural selection. Natural selection is a mechanism of evolution where individuals with traits best suited for their environment will survive and pass on their genes to the next generation. Over many generations, the isolated population can undergo enough genetic changes that it would no longer be able to breed with the original population. Let's look at an example.

Imagine a hypothetical species of rabbit living in a coastal forest. There were thousands of rabbits living in this coastal area. Then, an intense storm charged through, trapping a few rabbits on a floating log. For days this log floated in the ocean and eventually landed on an island. These castaway rabbits took refuge on this island and started breeding in this new environment