Geographic isolation caused the separation of rainforest frog populations into a population in the north and a population in the south. The separated populations later reconnected because the climate became wetter and warmer, causing the rainforest to expand. When males from the north mated with females from the south, the offspring failed to develop past the tadpole stage. When males from the south mated with females from the north, the offspring developed more slowly than the offspring of pairs of northern frogs. Based on these data, which event occurred while the two populations of frogs were separated?