Due to its location, Hawaii does not have very many land birds. The Hawaiian honeycreepers are a favorite for many ornithologist
s. There are over 50 species of honeycreepers that can all be traced back to one ancestor. The level of diversity in an ecosystem can be determined by the frequency of speciation and extinction. a) Describe speciation and identify two possible prezygotic barriers of the Hawaiian honeycreepers that contribute to speciation.
b) If the Hawaiian honeycreepers became extinct, explain how the newly available niches could lead to speciation.
In speciation, organisms evolved with the passage of time.
Explanation:
Speciation is the evolutionary process in which populations of species evolve with the passage of time to become different species from the original one. Temporal isolation and gametic isolation are two possible prezygotic barriers of the Hawaiian honeycreepers that contribute to occur speciation. The newly available niches could lead to speciation of that organisms that tolerate the Hawaiian climatic conditions when the extinction of Hawaiian honeycreepers occurs. The new organisms used the available resources such as food and space etc and increase its population.
