Male frogs give calls that attract female frogs to approach and mate. Researchers examined mating calls of closely related tree frogs in South America. If reinforcement of prezygotic isolation is occurring, what would you expect if you compare the calls of the two species in zones of sympatry versus zones of allopatry?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Reinforcement of prezygotic isolation occurs when closely related species that live in the same geographic region become more different in their traits that prevent them from interbreeding. Since mating calls are an important trait used in mate selection, we would expect male tree frogs in zones of sympatry (where the two species overlap) to have calls that are more different than in zones of allopatry (where the two species are separated) to reduce the chance of interbreeding. Therefore, the calls of the two species would be more different in areas of sympatry (choice B).

Male Frogs Give Calls That Attract Female Frogs to Approach