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Speciation Differences in Population

Speciation is due to genes moving from one population to another through migration of individual organisms. If two populations remain in contact, the flow of genes will deter them from becoming distinct species. Geographical features like oceans and mountains restrict the speciation process. Biological factors may also hinder differences in speciation; such factors are called isolating mechanisms. These differences in behavior result in decreased mating between organisms from different regions within the population.

  1. Sympatric Specification

    • Sympatric is a type of speciation in which new species evolve from one ancestral species. This happens when species inhabit the same geographical area. In order to reduce gene flow between different parts of a population, sympatric speciation does not require geographical distance. This mode of speciation is frequent in plants because plans are likely to develop homologous sets of chromosomes. In animals, sympatric speciation occurs in flies and maggots.

    Parapatric Speciation

    • In parapatric speciation, no extrinsic barrier to the flow of genes exists. In the presence of continuous population, random mating does not occur. In this type of speciation, organisms are likely to mate with their neighboring counterparts than with organisms from a distant geographical population. Across the population range, parapatric speciation results in distinctions in populations because of reduced gene flow in the whole population range.

    Allopatric Speciation

    • Allopatric speciation is a geographical isolation in which something extrinsic to the organism inhibits it from mating with each other frequently, leading to speciation. Isolation may occur due to a great distance or physical barriers like rivers and deserts. But in some types of environments it occurs, for example, in porous barriers whereby organisms can cross to mate with members of the other group. For speciation to be considered allopatric, gene flow between the different populations must be reduced.

    Peripatric Speciation

    • Ernst Mayer coined the peripatric mode of speciation, and it is a special version of the allopatric speciation. It occurs when one of the isolated populations has very few individual organisms and new forms of species are formed in isolated peripheral isolations.

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