speciation

American  

[spee-shee-ey-shuhn, -see-ey-] / ˌspi ʃiˈeɪ ʃən, -siˈeɪ- /

noun

Biology.

1. the formation of new species specie species as a result of geographic, physiological, anatomical, or behavioral factors that prevent previously interbreeding populations from breeding with each other.

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speciation British  

/ ˌspiːʃɪˈeɪʃən /

noun

1. the evolutionary development of a biological species, as by geographical isolation of a group of individuals from the main stock

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speciation Scientific  

/ spē′shē-ā′shən /

1. The formation of new biological species by the development or branching of one species into two or more genetically distinct ones. The divergence of species is thought to result primarily from the geographic isolation of a population, especially when confronted with environmental conditions that vary from those experienced by the rest of the species, and from the random change in the frequency of certain alleles (known as genetic drift). According to the theory of evolution, all life on Earth has resulted from the speciation of earlier organisms.

2. See also adaptive radiation

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Etymology

Origin of speciation

First recorded in 1895–1900; speci(es) + -ation

Example Sentences

"These repeated incursions into freshwater at the early divergence stage likely accelerated speciation, and are key factors in explaining the extraordinary hyper-diversity of otophysans in modern freshwater faunas."

From Science Daily

"The Cambrian period also had a massive speciation event, but the new models allow us to rule out oxygen and focus on other things that may have driven evolution during that time."

From Science Daily

With speciation, an astonishing divergence of pollination mechanisms evolved, that exploit hawkmoths, bats and lemurs for a simple nectar reward.

From Science Daily

The authors say the shift in migratory behavior is what drove speciation, though there's no way to tell whether migratory behavior was gained by one species or lost by the other.

From Science Daily

"Consequently, the mutations already existed in a common ancestor and are therefore older than the speciation," says Wolf.

From Science Daily