Question

What is meant by speciation? List four factors that could lead to speciation. Which of these cannot be a major factor in the speciation of self-pollinating plant species? Give reason to justify your answer.

Answer 1

Speciation is the process of creating new biological species by dividing an existing one into two or more genetically different ones. In evolution, speciation means the splitting of a single species in order to form a new species. These types of evolution can be seen time to time due to various factors in evolution such as- mutation, environmental factors, health conditions, sexual reproduction, gene alteration etc. speciation can be seen in both plants and animals.

Complete Explanation:
Factors which cause speciation are as follows- as gene flow between the populations of one species is restricted to allow them to diverge. Inter-breeding can also cause divergence like a complete barrier called a mating isolation mechanism.
The barrier can be temporal or spatial. Changing climate can also be a factor as we discussed earlier. It may isolate populations on mountain peaks or in lakes or rare migrants may colonize new areas such as Galapagos and Hawaiian Islands.
Self-pollination- this pollination where one flower is involved and hence it is quite basic type of pollination. When pollen from the male part that is anther in the plant falls directly to the female part that is stigma of the same flower and fertilization occurs. Such pollination is termed as self-pollination. As the name says, self- it does not require another flower or flower from a different plant.
The plants which undergo self-pollination are called self-pollinating plants. Some examples are- wheat, apricot, rice and peanut. Agents who usually help in pollination are called pollinating agents. Pollinating agents can be anything like-animals, birds, insects, wind and other factors. They fall into two categories based on their living factor.
A- abiotic B-biotic. Abiotic factors include pollination through wind blow or water. This type of pollination through an abiotic medium is called wind pollination and water pollination.
As we discussed what self-pollination is, let us see the factors which are avoided in speciation. By self-pollinating, plants actually protect their species, vulnerable to the original genes they avoid any alteration which occurs in cross-pollination so plants which follow self-pollination avoid speciation.

Note:
We knew that speciation is the formation of new species as a result of geographic, physiological, anatomical or behavioral factors that prevent previously interbreeding populations from breeding with each other. It is an elaborate process of forming a new species from other existing species. The process of speciation can really take long period of time like over years or many decades.