1. The alpine sky pilot, Polemonium viscosum is a common flowering plant in the Rocky Mountains....

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Biology

1. The alpine sky pilot, Polemonium viscosum is a commonflowering plant in the Rocky Mountains. At high elevations, P.viscosum is pollinated mainly by B. kirbyellus bumblebees; At lowerelevations, it is pollinated mainly by flies. A biologist observedthat alpine sky pilot populations growing at higher elevations hadsignificantly larger flower corollas than those growing at lowerelevations.
a) Explain why flower size would be likely to affect the fitnessof sky pilots at different elevations.
b) Explain why, based on fitness differences, average flowersize has become different at high and low elevations.
2. A biologist claims that although the two sky pilotpopulations have different flower sizes, they are the samebiological species.
a) How would the biologist test this hypothesis?
b) What experimental outcome would support the hypothesis thatthe two populations are the same biological species?

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4.3 Ratings (716 Votes)

1a Bumblebees preferentially visit plants with large longtubed broadly flared corollas bypassing neighbouring individuals with smaller Corolla Thus explanation is sufficient to explain the See Answer

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