Journal
EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY
Volume 39, Issue 2, Pages 255-261Publisher
SPRINGER
DOI: 10.1007/s11692-012-9171-x
Keywords
Adaptation; Incipient speciation; Geographic isolation
Categories
Funding
- NSF
- BEACON Center for Evolution in Action [DBI-0939454, DEB-1054062, DEB-0919499]
- Direct For Biological Sciences
- Division Of Environmental Biology [0919499] Funding Source: National Science Foundation
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Understanding the rate at which new species form is a key question in studying the evolution of life on earth. Here we review our current understanding of speciation rates, focusing on studies based on the fossil record, phylogenies, and mathematical models. We find that speciation rates estimated from these different studies can be dramatically different: some studies find that new species form quickly and often, while others find that new species form much less frequently. We suggest that instead of being contradictory, differences in speciation rates across different scales can be reconciled by a common model. Under the ephemeral speciation model, speciation is very common and very rapid but the new species produced almost never persist. Evolutionary studies should therefore focus on not only the formation but also the persistence of new species.
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