A tick population in a rural,wooded area uses deer as its primary host species.Eventually,humans begin to move into the area,bringing their pets along with them.Certain individuals within the tick population start to use dogs as their primary hosts,and eventually start to prefer dogs over deer.Other individuals continue to use deer for their primary host.Could this difference in host preference lead to speciation? Why or why not? Select all that aplly.
A) Yes,because temporal isolation could occur due to differences in host quality.
B) No,because the ticks inhabit the same region and therefore experience the same mechanisms of evolution.
C) Yes,because the ticks' host preference may be inherited,leading to an accumulation of genetic differences between ticks that use deer and ticks that use dogs.
D) No,because one of the hosts will lead to higher fitness and the ticks that prefer the other host will be eradicated.
E) No,because speciation cannot occur without geographic separation.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

A) Temporal isolation could occur if the ticks' activity patterns change to match those of their preferred hosts, which might have different active periods. This could reduce the chances of interbreeding between ticks that prefer different hosts. C) If the preference for different hosts is genetically determined, ticks that prefer different hosts might mate preferentially with others that share the same preference, leading to an accumulation of genetic differences over time. This process, known as reproductive isolation, is a key mechanism in speciation.

A Tick Population in a Rural,wooded Area Uses Deer as Its