A researcher notices that in a certain moth species,some females prefer to feed and lay eggs on domesticated solanaceous plants like potatoes and tomatoes.Other females prefer to feed and lay eggs on wild solanaceous plants like Datura.Both male and female moths primarily use scent to find these plants from afar.Females tend to mate where they feed,and the researcher finds a genetic basis for scent preference in these moths.Based on the above information,what might be occurring in this moth species?
A)divergence in sympatry
B)divergence due to vicariance
C)postzygotic isolation
D)polyploidization

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The divergence in feeding and scent preference between the two groups of females (those preferring domesticated versus wild solanaceous plants) suggests that the species may be undergoing sympatric speciation, whereby a single population diverges into two or more reproductively isolated groups in the same geographic location. The genetic basis for scent preference reinforces this possibility, as it suggests that the two groups of females have evolved different genetic adaptations to their preferred host plants.

A Researcher Notices That in a Certain Moth Species,some Females