Question

After an earthquake, a small group of beetles from a much larger population becomes trapped in a cave. They are able to persist (continue living and reproducing) in the cave, but they cannot migrate back to the source population outside the cave. What would most likely result from this scenario

Answer 1

Answer:

They will evolve into a new species

Explanation:

The most likely result from this scenario is that the now isolated group of beetles will evolve and become a new beetle species that is unique from the old population.

The beetles have become geographically isolated from the original population and this makes them become a new species through the process of allopatric speciation. Allopatric speciation is an evolutionary mechanism of species formation as a result of being geographically separated from the old population. It is as opposed to sympatric speciation in which a new species is formed within a population of species without being geographically barred from the original population.

The fact that the isolated species are now in an environment that is different from that of the original population means that they will take a different route to evolve in terms of trying to adapt to the changes that would be occurring in their environment.