sympatric
Americanadjective
adjective
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Occupying the same or overlapping geographic areas without interbreeding. Although they share the same geographic range, sympatric populations of related organisms become isolated from each other reproductively. This can happen by the development of subpopulations that become dependent on distinct food sources or that evolve distinct seasonal mating behavior. Flowering plants frequently become reproductively isolated through the development of polyploid hybrids (hybrids with three or more sets of chromosomes) that cannot backcross with either parent.
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◆ The development of new species as a result of the reproductive isolation of populations that share the same geographic range is called sympatric speciation.
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Compare allopatric
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of sympatric
1900–05; sym- + Greek pátr ( ā ) fatherland ( patr-, stem of patḗr father + -ā feminine noun suffix) + -ic
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Vocabulary lists containing sympatric
Animals (Zoology) - Middle School
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Evolutionary Biology - High School
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Animals (Zoology) - High School
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
One form of sympatric speciation begins with a serious chromosomal error during cell division.
From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022
Genetic variation influences sympatric speciation, but not allopatric speciation.
From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022
If this group of fish continued to remain separate from the first population, eventually sympatric speciation might occur as more genetic differences accumulated between them.
From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022
A number of mechanisms for sympatric speciation have been proposed and studied.
From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022
Regardless of their respective breeding habits, sympatric species have calls that differ notably.
From Neotropical Hylid Frogs, Genus Smilisca by Duellman, William E.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
