Sponsor Area

Evolution

Question
CBSEENBI12046918

Nicotiana sylvestris flowers only during long days and N.tabacum flowers only during short days. If raised in the laboratory under different photoperiods, they can be induced to flower at the same time and can be cross-fertilized to produce self-fertile offspring. What is the best reason for considering N.sylvestris and N.tabacum to be separate species

  • They cannot interbreed in nature.

  • They are reproductively distinct.

  • They are physiologically distinct.

  • They are morphologically distinct.

Solution

D.

They are morphologically distinct.

Speciation can take place in two general ways. A single species may change over time into a new form that is different enough to be considered a new species. This process is known as anagenesis. More commonly, a species may become split into two groups that no longer share the same gene pool. This process is known as cladogenesis. There are several ways in which anagenesis and cladogenesis may take place. In all cases, reproductive isolation occurs.