Question

Scientists discovered that the Albert's squirrels became two separate populations during the Grand Canyon's formation; they are now known as the Albert's and Kaibab squirrels.
Their traits differ, and scientists agree that in the future they may no longer be able to breed with each other.

If this occurs and breeding can not happen, what will this be an example of?

A.
spontaneous generation

B.
succession

C.
speciation

D.
natural selection

Answer 1

This is an example of speciation. Speciation is the formation of new species over time due to a number of mechanisms. The mechanism governing speciation in this case is allopatric speciation. This is because the populations had been geographically isolated due to the formation of the Grand Canyon.