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Concept
History of speciation
Summary
The scientific study of speciation — how species evolve to become new species — began around the time of Charles Darwin in the middle of the 19th century. Many naturalists at the time recognized the relationship between biogeography (the way species are distributed) and the evolution of species. The 20th century saw the growth of the field of speciation, with major contributors such as Ernst Mayr researching and documenting species' geographic patterns and relationships. The field grew in prominence with the modern evolutionary synthesis in the early part of that century. Since then, research on speciation has expanded immensely.
The language of speciation has grown more complex. Debate over classification schemes on the mechanisms of speciation and reproductive isolation continue. The 21st century has seen a resurgence in the study of speciation, with new techniques such as molecular phylogenetics and systematics. Speciation has largely been divided into discrete modes that correspond to rates of gene flow between two incipient populations. Current research has driven the development of alternative schemes and the discovery of new processes of speciation.
Charles Darwin introduced the idea that species could evolve and split into separate lineages, referring to it as specification in his 1859 book On the Origin of Species. It was not until 1906 that the modern term speciation was coined by the biologist Orator F. Cook. Darwin, in his 1859 publication, focused primarily on the changes that can occur within a species, and less on how species may divide into two. It is almost universally accepted that Darwin's book did not directly address its title. Darwin instead saw speciation as occurring by species entering new ecological niches.
Controversy exists as to whether Charles Darwin recognized a true geographical-based model of speciation in his publication On the Origin of Species.
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