Question

List four factors responsible for speciation.

Answer 1

The four factors responsible for speciation are :

1. Natural selection - Various variations and changes that occur during the life time of an organism can make it better adapted in the nature which are then passed on to the next generations, that is, they are selected naturally.

2. Geographical isolation - If geographical barriers are created between the groups of species, the gene flow between the different populations is prevented and different populations start evolving as separate entities.

3. Genetic drift - drastic change in the frequency of particular genes and the prevention of gene flow between the different populations is also taken into account. Here mutations also plays an important role to create sudden shift in gene frequencies.

4. Reproductive isolation - all the above forces ultimately create enough variations in the organisms that these organisms becomes incompatible for reproduction resulting in the complete blockage of gene flow between the members that these individuals evolve into different species.