Question

A population of deer is separated by an emerging volcano. The two populations come back into contact 200 years later, but are incapable of breeding. Which of the following best describes the process that occurred?

adaptation

speciation

convergent selection

stabilizing selection

Answer 1

Speciation — specifically allopatric speciation. The volcanic barrier caused geographic isolation, allowing the populations to diverge genetically until they became reproductively incompatible.