Question

Explain the term geographical isolation.

Answer 1

Hint: Geographical isolation is the type of isolation, which separates the different species of plants, animals, and all other organisms, so that no genetic material is transferred between this organism of the same species, this type of isolation may be caused by any accidents such as natural disasters or by any coincidence.

Complete answer:
Some of the factors that cause geographical isolation are following-
> Geographical isolation by barriers:
- If we take a fish as an example, the fish which are present in the water stream is separated from another stream by any physical barriers, so these fish are separated and not able to mate with each other which results in the stop of the exchange of genetic material.
- One more example includes that if we separate any animals for example goats or dogs by any physical barrier like a mountain, those species unable to mate and unable to transfer the gene material, and as time passes the genetic material has very little variation.

> Geographical isolation by distance:
- For example, any animals are differentiated into two flocks and make them separated by any distance, such as separating them by keeping those animals in different islands, so no exchange of genetic material occurs.
- Because of this isolation, for example, if any genetic transfer disease may not see some separated flocks, due to lack of exchange.
- Sometimes there is a chance of extinction of some special features which may occur due to genes.

> Geographical isolation by events:
- For example, any earthquake occurs where the people separated, so after this event, there may be a chance to mate especially those separated small groups of species, which may result in less diversification.
- Any fire forest or any separation of the continent, this may cause the species to separate small groups, where the gene transfer occurs within them, sometimes there is a chance to form a separate entity.

> Geographic isolation by separation:
- Isolation of people by separation, which means for example people live in towns, they use to marry and mate the people of a certain town or city only, which may result in less genetic variations.

Note: Geographic isolation, not only occurs in animals, there is a chance to occur in plants and other organisms, living on the land and water, which finally results in the species of less genetic variation and less diversity.