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AP Biology 7.10 B Describe the Rate of Evolution and Speciation Under Different Ecological Conditions Questions

Practise AP Biology 7.10.B questions by comparing gradualism, punctuated equilibrium, divergent evolution, adaptive radiation and convergence.

Syllabus
Effective Fall 2025
Course
AP Biology

Exam points

  • distinguish punctuated equilibrium from gradualism using the rate and timing of evolutionary change
  • explain how new habitats, isolation and adaptive radiation can produce divergent evolution and rapid speciation
  • identify convergent evolution from similar adaptations under similar selection pressures despite different ancestry

AP Biology 7.10 B Describe the Rate of Evolution and Speciation Under Different Ecological Conditions Questions question 1

[Maximum number: 1]

Twenty million years ago the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean were connected, and water flowed freely between the two bodies of water. Many of the same marine species were found in both areas. Over millions of years, the land referred to as the Isthmus of Panama formed, eventually closing off the connection between the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean and creating two separate bodies of water. The ecology of these two marine habitats was dramatically altered by this land formation. The warmer Caribbean water could no longer flow west, so the Pacific water cooled and became more nutrient-rich, while the Caribbean water became warmer.

Explain how the isolation of marine species by the formation of a land barrier can lead to divergent evolution of those species.

The formation of the Isthmus of Panama connected two continents, North America and South America. Many North American land animal species migrated to South America after the formation of the isthmus and occupied similar niches as South American species.

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