Speciation, "the origin of reproductive barriers among populations that permit
the maintenance of genetic and phenotypic distinctiveness of these populations in geographical proximity" (Seehausen et al 2014), is driven by a great variety of mechanisms as sexual selection, morphological adaptation, or hybrid advantage. I would like to know which mechanisms have been studied until now.
Hi Daniel,
A few more "mechanisms", or perhaps rather forces, that influence the isolation of lineages, and thereby may lead to speciation, are: phenological differences (see example apple maggot fly, Feder et al), host- or food-specialisation, assortative mating, random genetic changes (polyploidy, genetic drift), etc. (there are potentially many).These can be considered forces influencing a limitation of genetic exchange, which is different from the different types of speciation that are distinguished: sympatric-, allopatric-, parapatric speciation.Perhaps if you would make your question a bit more precise, you would get more answers; what exactly are you interested in and what is your purpose of knowing this? Are you searching for concrete evidence (hence: "which mechanisms have been studied until now")?
Is a generic question. I'm doing a review of speciation in cichlids. I want to contrast what mechanisms have been considered in the past with the current state, which states great importance in sexual selection upon colour polymorphisms
There are many mechanisms (forces?) that influence speciation, the ones acting in cichlids (I think) are these: divergent natural selection (which might equal to morphological adaptation, but also molecular and/or ecological adaptation); hybridization (not only "hybrid advantage" as you put it, but also consequences of hybridization in general); sexual selection; frequency dependent selection; genetic drift. Peter makes an excellent point above; those forces influence speciation, but these are not modes of speciation, which can be sympatric, parapatric or allopatric.
And what about man-made mechanisms, such as genetic modification or domestication? Do genetically modified or domesticated cichlids exist, and subsequently released in nature (accidently or not)?
There are some studies talking about hybridization between an introduced cichlid and the native species. Also some cases of hybridization are explained due to pollution events
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