Aspecies is a group of organisms capable of mating and producing offspring, and speciation is the process of forming a new species. one way a new species may form is by geographic isolation. this occurs when members of a population are physically separated, for example, by a river, or a desert. after the separation the two populations, responding to different conditions, will adapt differently, and so their evolutionary paths will a) converge. b) dissect. c) diverge. d) reverse.