All members of the golden hamster species known today are descendants of a single litter collected in Syria in 1939. Its diploid chromosome number is 44. Two other species of hamster, each with a diploid number of 22, overlap geographically in Syria. The golden hamster is thought to be a new species from the mating of a male and female of the two other hamster species. What mechanism might explain this recent event of speciation?

All members of the golden hamster species known today are descendants of a single litter collected in Syria in 1939. Its diploid chromosome number is 44. Two other species of hamster, each with a diploid number of 22, overlap geographically in Syria. The golden hamster is thought to be a new species from the mating of a male and female of the two other hamster species. What mechanism might explain this recent event of speciation?

Polyploidy;

Definition; Cells and organisms contains more than two paired (Homologous) Chromosomes

Explanation:

Most specie whose cells have nuclei (eukaryotes) are diploid meaning they have two pairs of chromosomes - one sets inherited from each parents. However, some organisms are polyploid and polyploidy is especially common in plants. In addition polyploidy occurs in some tissues of animals that are otherwise diploid such as human muscle tissues. this is known as endopolyploidy. Polyploidy refers to numerical change in the whole sets of chromosomes and it may occur due to abnormal cell division.