In some large groups of plants, including dandelions, oaks, and willows, the biological species concept is complicated because the process of _____ allows gene flow to occur between good _____ that can be easily distinguished based on appearance.
A)hybridization; morphospecies
B)hybridization; ecological species
C)allopatric speciation; ring species
D)polyploidy; evolutionary species
E)polyploidy; ring species

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Hybridization between different morphologically distinguishable species can lead to gene flow, making it difficult to define distinct biological species. This is especially common in some plant groups, such as dandelions, oaks, and willows. However, the ecological species concept is not relevant in this scenario because it is based on the ecological role of the organism and its interactions with the environment, rather than its physical appearance. Allopatric speciation involves geographic isolation and would not be applicable to cases where gene flow occurs between distinct morphological types. Polyploidy can also lead to speciation in plants, but it may not necessarily involve hybridization and ring species refer to a specific pattern of evolutionary divergence that is not relevant to this scenario.

In Some Large Groups of Plants, Including Dandelions, Oaks, and Willows