Question

a population of wildflowers is separated by an eight-lane superhighway. pollen is often carried by the wind across the highway and can pollinate the flowers on the other side of the highway. can speciation occur in this situation?
○ no, because the populations are not reproductively isolated.
○ no, because the populations are not geographically isolated.
○ yes, because the populations are reproductively isolated.
○ yes, because the populations are geographically isolated.
done ✔

Explanation:

To determine if speciation can occur, we analyze reproductive and geographical isolation. Reproductive isolation is needed for speciation. Here, pollen (carrying genetic material) is transferred between the two wildflower populations by wind, meaning they can interbreed (not reproductively isolated). Geographical isolation: while separated by a highway, gene flow still occurs via pollen, so they aren't reproductively isolated, preventing speciation. So the correct reasoning is that no, speciation can't occur because populations aren't reproductively isolated.

Answer:

No, because the populations are not reproductively isolated.