Speciation

High school (ages 12+)
Science & Technology

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/speciation

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the geographic modes?Allopatric, peripatric, parapatric, and sympatric speciation describe divergence based on geographic isolation
2. How can animals become new species when they live in the same place?Sympatric speciation can happen even when animals stay in the same area. It often happens when new habits or special traits make them choose different mates.
3. Why do animals that are far apart become different species?Allopatric speciation happens when animals are split by a big distance or a barrier like a mountain or ocean. Because they can't meet, they grow different traits and become new species.

Cladogenesis: The evolutionary splitting of a lineage into two or more distinct branches or species.
Reproductive Isolation: The inability of individuals from different populations or species to produce fertile offspring.
Genetic Drift: Random fluctuations in allele frequencies within a population, especially significant in small populations.
Allopatric Speciation: Speciation that occurs when populations are geographically separated, preventing gene flow.