Question

A population of tree frogs lives in a forest. A river runs through the middle of the forest. A particularly snowy winter is followed by an unusually rainy spring. The rain and melting snow cause the river to overflow its banks, flooding half the forest. The pattern of precipitation continues over the next 10 years, keeping the same half of the forest flooded. Discuss the effect the flooding might have on the population of tree frogs that inhabits the flooded areas versus those that inhabit the area of the forest that is not flooded

Answer 1

The flooding of half part of the forest have successful separate the population of frogs in that ecosystem into two different set of frogs. This is an example of allopatric speciation, that is, the population become separated as a result of geographical barrier. This separation will make the two set of frog population to become new species. On the long run, the two species may become unable to relate sexually.