University of Toronto (UofT) University of Toronto ANT100Y1 Introduction to Anthropology Midterm Practice Test

The correct answer is peripatric speciation, which is a specific type of allopatric speciation. In peripatric speciation, a small group of individuals becomes isolated from the main population and disperses to a distant or remote location. This isolation can lead to different evolutionary pressures and environments, resulting in the small group evolving into a distinct species over time. The geographical separation allows for genetic divergence, as the isolated population may undergo mutations or adapt to different resources or conditions, ultimately leading to speciation.

In contrast, vicariant speciation refers to the splitting of a population into two or more of the same size due to a geographical barrier, rather than a small group dispersing. Adaptive radiation is a process where a single ancestor species rapidly diversifies into a variety of forms to exploit different ecological niches, but it doesn’t specifically involve the small group dispersal aspect. Allopatric speciation is the broader term encompassing various forms of speciation due to geographical separation, but it doesn’t specify the small founding group aspect intrinsic to peripatric speciation.