Practice problem

Behavioral Isolation — Definition & Examples

In a population of frogs, some sing at a very high pitched tone, while other sing very deeply. Some females prefer the higher tone, while others prefer the deeper tone. Other than this difference in mating tone, the frogs are all the same. Will this lead to speciation through behavioral isolation? And if so, how?

Choose one answer

Because the frogs already have different mating calls, they are already considered separate species.

No, this will not lead to speciation. Just because the female frogs prefer different mating calls will not mean that the populations will become different. There is no reason for speciation to occur.

Yes, this will lead to speciation. Females that prefer a deeper voice are physically impossible of mating with the frogs that have the higher voice. After time, the populations will become so different that they will be considered separate species.

Yes, this will lead to speciation. The preference in mating calls will cause subsets in the population to form. Only females that are attracted to the deep singing will mate with the frogs that sing deeply, and vice versa. After some time, the populations will become so divided that they will be considered separate species.