Evolution
Evolution and Natural Selection
New species can arise when barriers to reproduction within a population lead to two populations that over time e…
Item SP003005: Not being able to reproduce together provides the strongest evidence that two similar organisms are different species (the Annosum fungus in Europe and Asia).
Annosum are a group of sexually reproducing fungi that live on and eat trees in North America, Europe, and Asia. Which of the following would provide the strongest evidence that that the Annosum living in Europe and Asia are different species?
Photo taken by James Lindsey, distributed under a CC-BY-SA 2.5 license
- Annosum collected in Europe have genetic differences compared to Annosum collected in Asia.
- Annosum collected in Europe are all white in color and Annosum collected in Asia are all brown in color.
- Annosum collected in Europe and Annosum collected in Asia do not mate because they live on different continents.
- Annosum collected in Europe and Annosum collected in Asia cannot mate to produce viable offspring even when they are brought together.
- Distribution of Responses
- Points Earned
| Group | Correct | Total | Percent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 648 | 2269 | 29% |
| Grades | |||
| 6–8 | 19 | 91 | 21% |
| 9–12 | 587 | 2013 | 29% |
| Gender | |||
| Male | 274 | 963 | 28% |
| Female | 337 | 1143 | 29% |
| Primary Language | |||
| English | 596 | 2055 | 29% |
| Other | 15 | 63 | 24% |
- Distribution of Responses
- Points Earned
| Group | Correct | Total | Percent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 480 | 1104 | 43% |
| Grades | |||
| 6–8 | 28 | 70 | 40% |
| 9–12 | 390 | 901 | 43% |
| Gender | |||
| Male | 196 | 434 | 45% |
| Female | 234 | 555 | 42% |
| Primary Language | |||
| English | 411 | 949 | 43% |
| Other | 12 | 33 | 36% |
- Distribution of Responses
- Points Earned
| Group | Correct | Total | Percent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 690 | 1165 | 59% |
| Grades | |||
| 6–8 | 9 | 18 | 50% |
| 9–12 | 620 | 1059 | 59% |
| Gender | |||
| Male | 290 | 535 | 54% |
| Female | 361 | 571 | 63% |
| Primary Language | |||
| English | 617 | 1055 | 58% |
| Other | 18 | 33 | 55% |
- Notes
- NGSS does not include the idea that what determines if two kinds of organisms are from different species is their inability to reproduce with each other.