Correct option is C
Sympatric speciation is the process by which new species evolve from a single ancestral species while inhabiting the same geographic region. This requires the emergence of reproductive barriers despite the lack of physical separation.
Option 1: Populations exploited different diets in the rainforests.
This is a classic example of ecological niche differentiation — a major driver of sympatric speciation. When populations specialize in different resources, it reduces competition and promotes divergence. This ecological divergence can contribute to reproductive isolation by assortative mating linked to diet preferences.
Option 2: Over time, natural selection favoured traits that allowed the consumption of distinct diets.
This highlights adaptive divergence. Natural selection favors individuals better adapted to specific diets, causing genetic differentiation and phenotypic changes aligned with prey specialization. This process reinforces reproductive isolation through ecological specialization.
Option 4: Temporal differentiation in their foraging activity led to their distinct diets.
Temporal isolation, where populations feed or mate at different times, is an effective prezygotic reproductive barrier. It reduces gene flow even in sympatry and facilitates speciation by preventing interbreeding.
Option 3: Diverging populations developed differences in diet. However, it did not lead to reproductive isolation.
This is the statement that does NOT explain speciation. Without reproductive isolation, populations remain genetically connected through gene flow. Divergence in traits like diet alone is insufficient for speciation unless accompanied by reproductive barriers. Thus, option 3 contradicts the speciation process.
Information Booster:
1. Speciation = divergence + reproductive isolation.
2. Ecological and temporal differentiation are mechanisms that promote reproductive isolation.
3. Diet divergence alone without reproductive isolation does not lead to speciation.
