Populations of a shrimp species at eleven different Indonesian coral reefs show substantial genetic differences from ...

Melody on March 25, 2015

We are told that populations of shrimp species at eleven different Indonesian coral reefs exhibit a very big genetic variation from one reef to the next. However, this is odd because the strong ocean current most likely carries baby shrimp between the different reefs, allowing the populations a chance to interbreed and become genetically indistinguishable.

Our correct answer will help explain the discrepancy.

Answer choice (C) states: "Before breeding, shrimp of the species examined migrate back to the coral reef at which they were hatched."

Answer choice (C) helps solve the paradox because it makes the fact that baby shrimp are carried between different reefs, which would lead one to believe that it would allow for populations to interbreed, irrelevant, since once the shrimp are ready to breed, they will migrate back to the coral reef which they were hatched at, keeping the breeding within the same coral reef.

Thus, there will be grave variations in genetics between the different reefs.

Hope that clears things up! Please let us know if you have any other questions.