GEOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -Allopatric speciation, also known as geographic speciation, is speciation that occurs when biological populations of the same species become isolated due to geographical changes such as mountain building or social changes such as emigration.

Detailed explanation-2: -Geographic isolation is known to contribute to divergent evolution, resulting in unique phenotypes. Oftentimes morphologically distinct populations are found to be interfertile while reproductive isolation is found to exist within nominal morphological species revealing the existence of cryptic species.

Detailed explanation-3: -A classic example of geographic isolation involves the Galápagos finches. Populations of finches found on the different islands of Galápagos evolved separately and therefore split into nearly 15 different species. They all look different and utilize different food sources.

Detailed explanation-4: -Geographic isolation occurs when two populations are separated by geographic barriers such as rivers, mountains, or bodies of water. For example, the Kaibab squirrel is a subspecies of the Abert’s squirrel that formed when a small population became isolated on the north rim of the Grand Canyon.

Detailed explanation-5: -Geographic isolation, or allopatry, is a term used in the study of evolution. When part of a population of a species becomes geographically isolated from the remainder, it may over time evolve characteristics different from the parent population (due to natural selection).