Question

1. would separated populations of squirrels be able to interbreed if the barrier was no longer there? defend your answer. type your answer here.

Explanation:

If the separated populations of squirrels have not diverged significantly genetically during the period of separation (i.e., no speciation has occurred), they may still be able to interbreed as they share a common gene - pool. However, if enough time has passed and genetic differences have accumulated due to factors like different selection pressures in their separated habitats, they may have become reproductively isolated and unable to interbreed.

Answer:

It depends. If there has been no significant genetic divergence during separation, they can interbreed. If genetic differences have accumulated leading to reproductive isolation, they cannot.