Question

A species of elm has winged-seeds. How would biologists explain how a species of elm with winged-seeds evolved from an ancestral elm species without winged-seeds

Answer 1

Answer:

In an ancestral elm species, mutations gave rise to the phenotypic trait "winged-seeds". Subsequently, selection favored elm plants with winged-seeds that diverged over time to become a separate species

Explanation:

A mutation is a genetic change in the DNA sequence. In general, mutations have a negative impact on the fitness of the individual (i.e., mutations are generally deleterious) and therefore they disappear from the population. However, there are situations where mutations are beneficial and confer an adaptive advantage, thereby increasing their frequency in the population. In this case, mutations associated with the formation of winged-seeds conferred an adaptive advantage (i.e., higher seed dispersal capacity) to individuals who had this phenotypic trait, thereby these individuals had more chances to reproduce and pass their genes to the next generation. Eventually, Elm plants with winged-seeds accumulated sufficient genetic differences to prevent interbreeding, leading to the formation of a separate species.