Two populations of birds with somewhat different colouration live on opposite sides of a peninsula. The habitat between the populations is not suitable for these birds. When birds from the two populations are brought together, they produce young whose appearance is intermediate between the two parents. These offspring will breed with each other or with birds from either parent population, and all offspring of these pairings appear intermediate to various degrees.
What keeps the two populations separate?
A) temporal reproductive isolation
B) lack of hybrid viability
C) behaviour isolates reproductive activities
D) habitat isolation

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The habitat between the populations is not suitable for these birds, which means that it isolates individuals from different populations and prevents them from interbreeding. This is an example of habitat isolation, which is a type of reproductive isolation that occurs when two populations live in different habitats and thus do not have the opportunity to mate. The other options (A, B, and C) are also types of reproductive isolation, but they do not apply to this scenario.

Two Populations of Birds with Somewhat Different Colouration Live on Opposite