All members of the golden hamster species known today are descendants of a single litter collected in Syria in 1939. Its diploid chromosome number is 44. Two other species of hamster, each with a diploid number of 22, overlap geographically in Syria. The golden hamster is thought to be a new species from the mating of a male and female of the two other hamster species. What mechanism might explain this recent event of speciation?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Polyploidy is a mechanism that can explain the speciation event described, as it involves the doubling of the chromosome number from the parental species to the offspring species, fitting the scenario where the golden hamster has a diploid chromosome number of 44, while each of the two other species has a diploid number of 22.

All Members of the Golden Hamster Species Known Today Are