Question

What factors influence gene flow between populations? 1. Differences in animal behavior and life history strategies can form effective barriers to gene flow. 2. The home range size of the species. 3. Reproductive barriers must involved anatomical differences that prevent mating. 4. Barriers to gene flow between populations are always physical geographic barriers.

Answer 1

Answer:

All these factors affect gene flow:

1. Differences in animal behavior and life history strategies can form effective barriers to gene flow.

2. The home range size of the specie can also serve as a barrier to gene flow.

Explanation:

Firstly, gene flow is the transfer of genetic traits from one population to another. It is an important process for transferring genetic variations from one population to another.

There are several barriers or factors that limit or increase this gene flow.

Gene flow can be affected by mobility or rate of dispersal. It is expected to be lower in species with low mobility which is the movement from one place to another or low dispersal and vice versa. So a population with a shorter home range size can't effective aid gene flow as they interact only with individuals of the same population and vice versa.

Gene flow barrier could be by physical barriers which is the isolation of a geographical location preventing them from exchanging genetic materials with the same species of the sane population.

This type of physical barrier is usually but not always natural.

Barrier to gene flow could be reproductive preventing transfer of genectic materials due to differences in mating period, season of birth and so on.

Another barrier could be difrerneces in customs, ethnicity, religion and clans.

All these factors affect gene flow but the 3rd and 4th option are not totally true as barriers to gene flow are not totally physical geographical barriers and not totally anatomical differences but also soil preference and other factors.

Thanks.