Question

Which of the following best sums up Ehrlich and Raven's argument in their classic 1969 paper?

• A. Ernst Mayr was wrong in identifying physical separation as the cause of species diversity.
• B. Checkerspot butterflies in the 50-acre Jasper Ridge Preserve formed three groups that rarely interacted with
• C. While a factor, isolation was not as important to speciation as natural selection.
• D. Gene flow is less common and more erratic than Mayr and his colleagues claimed.

Answer 1

The correct option is C

While a factor, isolation was not as important to speciation as natural selection.

The initial hypothesis was that species segregation happened due to separation of locality. But the aforementioned authors prove that, this was not the case. Many other factors such as, choice of mate and predators shaped the gene pool. Isolation was only a small part. This is given in option (3).