What mechanism facilitated the initial diversification of blindsnakes heavily influenced by the breakup of Indigascar?
Answer
Vicariance
The initial evolutionary history of the blindsnake group mirrored the physical breakup of the ancient landmass known as Indigascar. This diversification pattern strongly indicates that the primary driver was vicariance, which is defined as the physical separation of populations caused by geological events, rather than the populations actively moving across new terrain. This geological mechanism led to reproductive isolation and subsequent divergence among the lineages established on the separating landmasses.
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