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divergence,speciation
&
subspecies, species

2007-05-02 16:24:01 · 2 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics Biology

2 answers

Just to add on to the excellent answer above:
Subspecies usually just live in different places. The only reason they don't breed is spatial separation. One common example is the salamanders that live along the mountain chain in California. Subspecies on different sides may appear different superficially, owing to slightly different environments, but they are still capable of producing viable offspring. Many examples of subspecies can be found in the ocean, too. Some species of salmon (Chinook salmon, to be specific) have different subspecies that breed at different times of the year. In this case, they are temporally separated, but still able to reproduce.

2007-05-03 03:57:37 · answer #1 · answered by Sci Fi Insomniac 6 · 0 0

Divergence means that populations become different from each other over time.
Speciation means that populations have become different enough from each other that they can no longer interbreed.

Divergence can lead to speciation, but speciation does not lead to divergence.

A species may have several subspecies ... however, the members of the different subspecies still belong to the same species. That sounds a bit like a circular definition, but there you go!

2007-05-02 23:29:06 · answer #2 · answered by ecolink 7 · 0 0

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