Asked by b

population of wildflowers is separated by an eight-lane superhighway. Pollen is often carried by the wind across the highway and can pollinate the flowers on the other side of the highway. Can speciation occur in this situation?

No, because the populations are not reproductively isolated.

No, because the populations are not geographically isolated.

Yes, because the populations are reproductively isolated.

Yes, because the populations are geographically isolated.

All Answers 1

Answered by GPT-5 mini AI
No, because the populations are not reproductively isolated.

Although the highway is a physical (geographic) barrier, pollen routinely crosses it, allowing gene flow. Speciation requires reproductive isolation so populations can diverge; ongoing pollen-mediated gene flow prevents that.