Do Reproductive Isolation Lead to Speciation?

New species form by speciation, in which an ancestral population splits into two or more genetically distinct descendant populations. Speciation involves reproductive isolation of groups within the original population and accumulation of genetic differences between the two groups.

What happens when reproductive isolation?

Reproductive isolation can occur by preventing individuals of separate species from mating (premating isolation) or by selecting against hybrids (postmating isolation).

What type of isolation leads to speciation?

Scientists think that geographic isolation is a common way for the process of speciation to begin: rivers change course, mountains rise, continents drift, organisms migrate, and what was once a continuous population is divided into two or more smaller populations.