Speciation

By: Mohamad Shahril B.

Mohamad Salim

In Darwins words, speciation is the multiplication of species.

Speciation
The

process through which new species

form.
Speciation is a lineage-splitting event
that produces two or more separate
species.
A species is a group of organisms able
to interbreed and produce fertile
offspring.

Species

Geographic

Barriers
Post zygotic
Pre zygotic

Gene
flow

Fast

Reproductive
Isolation
Speciation

Slow

Geographical Barriers
Keep

populations physically isolated

from each other. Thus, the organisms
from the populations are unable to
interbreed with each other.
Examples include:
Rivers,

mountains, oceans

Biological Barriers

Keep species reproductively isolated

from each other.

Reproductive barriers fall into two

broad categories:
1.
2.

Pre-zygotic barriers
Post-zygotic barriers

Pre-zygotic Barriers

Pre-fertilization barriers, either impede mating

between species or prevent fertilization of the
egg if individuals from different species attempt
to mate.

Types of pre-zygotic barriers include:

Behavioural isolation ex. Different mating calls

Habitat isolation ex. Occupying different parts of a
region
Temporal isolation ex. Different mating seasons
Mechanical isolation ex. Anatomical differencessnails
Gametic isolation ex. Egg and sperm not compatible

Behavioral Isolation -Song in

Eastern and Western
Meadowlarks

Four species of leopard frogs: differ in their mating calls.

Hybrids are inviable.

Post-zygotic barriers

Post-fertilization barriers, prevent hybrid

zygotes from developing into normal, fertile
offspring.

Types of post-zygotic barriers include:

Hybrid inviability hybrid dies.

Hybrid sterility hybrid is unable to reproduce.
Hybrid breakdown complication/problem and
dies.

The hybrid offspring is either

weaker than the parent species,
or totally inviable (meaning it
cannot stay alive). This could be
caused by minor or major genetic
defects, and even slightly
reduced viability can cause big
decreases in reproduction.

Hybrid Breakdown:
This is similar to hybrid
inviability or sterility,
but skipping a
generation. We get
successful mating with
viable, fertile offspring,
but when the offspring
try to have offspring,
things go wrong. The
second generation can
be either inviable,
infertile, or show
reduced fitness. Either
way it's just not
working out.

Litoria
rubell
a

Notaden
bennetti
i

Modes of Speciation

Modes of Speciation
Allopatric

speciation
Etymology: allo-patric = differentcountry
reproductive isolation occurs in complete
geographic isolation.
Gene pools isolated via geographic
separation.
Prevalent mechanism of speciation in
animals.

Allopatric Speciation:
Geographic Isolation

A. harrisii

A. leucurus

Allopatric speciation.
A population forms a
new species while
geographically isolated
from its parent population.

Sympatric speciation.
A subset of a population
forms a new species
without geographic
separation.

Sympatric Speciation
Etymology:

sym-patric = same-

country.
Gene pools isolated via process other
than geographic separation.
via polyploidy, particularly in plants
via behavior, ecology and to a lesser
extent polyploidy in animals.
Common in plants (>70% of species via
sympatric speciation).

Summary
Sympatric

speciation is an important
evolutionary process that can separate
a species into two new ones. The
divergence of the two species will
generally take place over a long period
of time, and it can be the effect of
differences in things such as diet,
behavior, and mate selection.