Speciation & Reproductive Isolation

Biological Species Concept

Defines a species as members of populations that actually
or potentially interbreed in nature, not according to
similarity of appearance.
Although appearance is helpful in identifying species, it
does not define species.

Western Meadowlark Eastern Meadowlark

Prezygotic vs. Postzygotic barriers
When two members of different species attempt to
reproduce, a number of barriers may prevent it

Prezygotic barriers prevent fertilization from occurring

Postzygotic barriers prevent zygotes from developing into

viable, fertile offspring
Habitat Isolation
Individuals dont mate because they live in different
habitats.

If they are brought together in captivity they will mate

successfully.
Examples: Freshwater vs. Marine Sticklebacks
Temporal Isolation
Individuals have different mating seasons and therefore do
not reproduce
Unlikely to mate in captivity if natural cycles are
maintained, but viable, fertile offspring would be produced
if they did.
Bufo americanus Bufo fowleri I am not
that
kind of
frog!

Lets
mate in
early
summer
Behavioral Isolation
Many species engage in courtship behaviors such as
singing and dancing, or may release pheromones to
attract mates.
When the behavior of two individuals is not perfectly
aligned, copulation will not occur.
Blue Footed Boobies
Behavioral Isolation continued
Behavioral barriers are sometimes asymmetrical heres an
example:
Female wolves will only mate with other wolves, but male
wolves are also willing to mate with coyotes.

Why does this make sense from an evolutionary perspective?

Mechanical Isolation
the parts dont fit.

Individuals whose reproductive organs do not physically

fit together cannot successfully mate

Male reproductive organs of various species of damselfly

Gametic Isolation
The sperm and egg of different species are not compatible.
Zygote mortality
Zygotes do not divide, stop dividing early, or otherwise
do not develop properly
Various stages of success can be achieved depending upon
how similar or different the two species are
Often occurs when various species of frogs or
mosquitoes interbreed
Limitations of the Biological Species Concept
The biological species concept cannot be applied
to fossils or asexual organisms (including all
prokaryotes)
The biological species concept emphasizes
absence of gene flow
However, gene flow can occur between distinct
species
HYBRIDS: For example, grizzly bears and polar
bears can mate to produce grolar bears
Hybrids
The closest two species can get to successful
reproduction is to produce a viable offspring, but that
individual is likely to be sterile.
Hybrids are usually formed between two animals that
come from the same genus
The most common example is a mule
Mules and Hinnies
Mare + Jack = Mule (more common)
Stallion + Jenny = Hinny

Horses (mares and stallions) have 64

chromosomes
Donkeys (jacks and jennies) have 62
chromosomes

Mules and hinnies have 63 chromosomes,

which dont divide evenly during meiosis.
On rare occasions, females have been
able to reproduce with horses or
donkeys.
 Ligers and Tigons

Male tiger + lioness = tigon

Less common than the liger

Both ligers and tigons are generally sterile

Male lion + tigress = liger

Largest cat in existence due
to gene imprinting
Social and enjoys
swimming!
Other Definitions of Species
1. morphological species concept:
A species is characterized by its body shape
It applies to sexual and asexual species but relies on
subjective criteria
2. ecological species concept:
A species is characterized by its ecological niche
It applies to sexual and asexual species and emphasizes the role
of disruptive selection (explained on next slide)
3. phylogenetic species concept:
A species is the smallest group of individuals that share a
common ancestor
It applies to sexual and asexual species, but it can be difficult to
determine the degree of difference required for separate species
Types of Selection
Speciation is often caused by disruptive selection for a
particular trait.
Speciation can take place with or without
geographic separation

Speciation can occur in two ways:

Allopatric speciation
Sympatric speciation
Figure 24.5

(a) Allopatric speciation. (b) Sympatric speciation.

A population forms a A subset of a population
new species while forms a new species
geographically isolated without geographic
from its parent population. separation.
Allopatric (Other Country) Speciation
In allopatric speciation, gene flow is interrupted
or reduced when a population is divided into
geographically isolated subpopulations
For example, the flightless cormorant of the
Galpagos likely originated from a flying species
on the mainland
The Process of Allopatric Speciation
The definition of barrier depends on the ability of a
population to disperse
For example, a canyon may create a barrier for small
rodents, but not birds, coyotes, or pollen
A. harrisii A. leucurus
Sympatric (Same Country) Speciation
In sympatric speciation, speciation takes place in
geographically overlapping populations
In a sympatric speciation, various factors can limit
gene flow:
Polyploidy
Habitat differentiation
Sexual selection

Polyploidy is the presence of extra sets of

chromosomes due to accidents during cell division
Figure 24.11-4
Species A Species B
2n = 6 2n = 4

Meiotic error;
chromosome number not
reduced from 2n to n
Normal
gamete Unreduced gamete
n=3 with 4 chromosomes

Hybrid with
7 chromosomes

Normal Unreduced gamete

gamete with 7 chromosomes
n=3

New species:
viable fertile hybrid
(allopolyploid) 2n = 10
Habitat Differentiation

Sympatric speciation can also result from the

appearance of new ecological niches
For example, the North American maggot fly can live
on native hawthorn trees as well as more recently
introduced apple trees
Rate of Speciation
Rates of speciation vary
Often major disruptions to an ecosystem will be followed
by periods of rapid speciation, as organisms adapt in
different ways to the changed environment
Mass extinctions are also often followed by rapid
speciation as remaining species fill in the many vacant
niches, often diverging from one another as they do so
Speciation may also happen gradually within stable
environments
Figure 24.17

(a) Punctuated
pattern

Time

(b) Gradual
pattern