The concept that describes speciation when populations occupy different parts of a continuous range and experience different selective pressures is:

The concept that describes speciation when populations occupy different parts of a continuous range and experience different selective pressures is:

• A. Parapatric speciation
• B. Allopatric speciation
• C. Sympatric speciation
• D. Gradualism

Answer: (A)

Speciation that occurs when populations occupy adjacent parts of a continuous range and experience different selective pressures is parapatric speciation. Because the habitats meet along a boundary, there can still be some gene flow between neighboring groups, but each side experiences distinct environmental conditions that drive local adaptation. Over time, these divergent selective pressures promote reproductive isolation, even without a complete geographic separation. This is different from allopatric speciation, which requires a physical barrier that largely prevents gene flow; sympatric speciation happens within the same area, often through disruptive selection or other mechanisms that reduce interbreeding without geographic separation; and gradualism describes the tempo of evolutionary change rather than the spatial pattern of how new species arise. A useful example is populations along an environmental gradient where neighboring groups adapt to slightly different conditions, gradually diverging into separate species.

Speciation that occurs when populations occupy adjacent parts of a continuous range and experience different selective pressures is parapatric speciation. Because the habitats meet along a boundary, there can still be some gene flow between neighboring groups, but each side experiences distinct environmental conditions that drive local adaptation. Over time, these divergent selective pressures promote reproductive isolation, even without a complete geographic separation. This is different from allopatric speciation, which requires a physical barrier that largely prevents gene flow; sympatric speciation happens within the same area, often through disruptive selection or other mechanisms that reduce interbreeding without geographic separation; and gradualism describes the tempo of evolutionary change rather than the spatial pattern of how new species arise. A useful example is populations along an environmental gradient where neighboring groups adapt to slightly different conditions, gradually diverging into separate species.