overview of speciation

• Speciation is where two new species arise from a single species. This happens when two populations are prevented from interbreeding.
• Reproductive isolation

  • If two populations are prevented from interbreeding, differences begin to accumulate in the two gene pools.
  • Gene flow is the movement of alleles between a population. When two populations are reproductively isolated, the gene flow of the populations is restricted.
  • The two populations are said to be reproductively isolated.
• Accumulation of differences

  • If the gene pools are reproductively isolated for an extended period of time, they will eventually accumulate enough genetic differences that the two populations can no longer interbreed.
  • If individuals from the two populations can no longer interbreed to produce fertile offspring, the two populations are considered separate species.
• Speciation

  • Speciation is when two (or more) populations have been reproductively isolated to produce two (or more) separate species.
  • This is how the thousands of species that exist today have been produced.