EVOLUTION

A 257 U2
4. Quaatum Speciattoa. It is the rapid and abrupt mode of species formation. Grant
•971) defined quantum speciation '"the budding off a new and very different daughter
'P«Iesfrom a semi-Isolated peripMrot population of the ancestral species'". This type of
issplaencidast.ion is based on the observation of ILL. Canon on Drosophila inhabiting
Hawaii

The quantum speciation is a sudden and rapid speciation. It does not produce subspecies
or in!emtediate stage. Genetic drift or chance plays a major role in quantum speciation.
Factors lnlluenctng Speefatfon. Following factors intl-ce the speciation :(i) Muta
pnloonid(yii)(tRo ebceomdebsicnraitbieodn) (aiinid) N(vatiui)raIsl oslealteiocntion (iv)
HYbridization ·(v·-) Genetic drift (vi) Poly-

: ..._Spodadoo ... s,_..,, Spodadoo

Allopatric Speciation S)'Titpatrlc SpeciaJion
1. It occurs in a spatially, isolated population.
2. The barrier is physical .
1. It occurs from a segment within a population.
3. There are chances of breakdown of isolating
mechanism . 2. The barrier is ecological and genetic.
3. Chances of breakdown of isolating
4. Speciation is slow. mechanism are rare.
5. Barriers to interspecific crossings are fewer: 4. Speciation is rapid.
5. Barriers to interspecific crossings are more
pronounced.
Polyploidy
Increase in number of chromo
somes or chromosome sets is caJled TRITICUM TRITICUM
polyPloidy. PolyPloidy does not occur DURUM AESTIVUM

commonly in animals. The·additional

TRITICUM
chromosomes in animals are mostly
MONoeoccuM
lethal. However, polyploidy occurs AEGfLOPS
commonly in plants. Polyploidy has SPELTOIOES
played an important role in plant evo
lution. There are many common poly
ploid plants. Tobacco is a polyploid
that evolved by the hybridization of
two smaller species. In wheat, there
are species With 14, 28 and 42 chro
mosomes (Fig. 7.57). Different vari
eties of wheat have been obtained by
polyPloidy."

Biological Evolution
Biological evolution in ceJlular
fonns of life would have staned when
they origiWlt.ed OJ1 eazotb. ccordi e to
natural selecti the rate of appear_
aace of new 1iornB is linked to the life
span. - 1 divide very fast Fig. 7.57. Different types of wheat Which have
through polyploidy. The diploid number of
chromosome is given m the square.