A small flock of birds becomes stranded on an isolated island during a hurricane.The birds successfully breed and spread across the island.Several decades later,another flock of birds of the same species also becomes stranded on the island.The new arrivals are slightly larger than the rest of the birds,but they freely interbreed with the rest of the birds,and they produce fertile offspring.Which one of the following processes is best illustrated in this example?
A)Speciation
B)Genetic drift
C)Natural selection
D)Gene flow

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The process illustrated in this example is gene flow, which is the movement of genetic material (alleles) from one population to another. The arrival of the new flock of birds introduced new alleles into the population, leading to genetic diversity. The fact that the birds freely interbred and produced fertile offspring suggests that they belong to the same species and did not undergo speciation. There is no indication of significant changes in the frequency of the alleles over time, so genetic drift and natural selection are not the best choices.

A Small Flock of Birds Becomes Stranded on an Isolated