AP BIOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -Answer and Explanation: This is an example of a prezygotic barrier. Since the females will only mate with males that emit the correct light signals, the barrier to reproduction that occurs in the cases of other species occurs before fertilization, meaning that the barrier is prezygotic.

Detailed explanation-2: -Behavioral isolation occurs when the presence or absence of a specific behavior prevents reproduction from taking place. For example, male fireflies use specific light patterns to attract females.

Detailed explanation-3: -Every species of flashing firefly has its own pattern. These unique patterns let males and females of the same species recognize one another in the dark.

Detailed explanation-4: -The insects take in oxygen and, inside special cells, combine it with a substance called luciferin to produce light with almost no heat. Firefly light is usually intermittent, and flashes in patterns that are unique to each species. Each blinking pattern is an optical signal that helps fireflies find potential mates.

Detailed explanation-5: -New species form by speciation, in which an ancestral population splits into two or more genetically distinct descendant populations. Speciation involves reproductive isolation of groups within the original population and accumulation of genetic differences between the two groups.