Life: The Science of Biology 11th Edition

Published by W. H. Freeman
ISBN 10: 1-31901-016-4
ISBN 13: 978-1-31901-016-4

Chapter 22 - Speciation - 22.5 - Speciation Rates Are Highly Variable across Life - 22.5 Recap - Learning Outcomes - Page 483: 1

Answer

Animals with more complex sexually selected behaviors and which demonstrate sexual dimorphism are more likely to speciate because they make sophisticated discriminations among mating partners. These animals, including many birds of paradise, distinguish members of their own species, whereas other animals only distinguish members of other species. Similarly, pollinator specialization in plants essentially selects certain pollinators against others, driving a gap between the population of flowers as a result of particular mating behavior. Flowers that prefer one pollinator are more likely to speciate away from a flower of the same species that prefers another pollinator.

Work Step by Step

Animals with more complex sexually selected behaviors and which demonstrate sexual dimorphism are more likely to speciate because they make sophisticated discriminations among mating partners. These animals, including many birds of paradise, distinguish members of their own species, whereas other animals only distinguish members of other species. Similarly, pollinator specialization in plants essentially selects certain pollinators against others, driving a gap between the population of flowers as a result of particular mating behavior. Flowers that prefer one pollinator are more likely to speciate away from a flower of the same species that prefers another pollinator.
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