Question

What type of selection can create two new species from one population?

Answer 1

The answer is disruptive selection. In disruptive selection two opposite extremes of a trait are favoured by nature while average trait is gradually eliminated resulting in an increase in diversity.

Explanation:

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Natural selection may favour both extremes of a trait/phenotype. This will lead to a gradual decrease in number of individuals with mean phenotype in the population. After considerable number of generations, the original population will be no longer resent in nature but two distinct related populations could be found.

![https://useruploads.socratic.org/6x5GPI7Qd2fpl0HOXKvt_diversifying%20selection.png)

Answer 2

Physical isolation

Explanation:

When a population is split and the two parts of the population are isolated from one another two species can result.

An example is found in the Grand Canyon of America. There are two populations of squirrels one on the North Rim and one on the South Rim. The squirrels are isolated from one another by the deep gorge and sever climate changes from the rims to the river.

The squirrels can not inter breed because of the isolation. Over time the squirrels have diverged into two different species.