Predicting the formation of new species
Sunday, June 10, 2012 - 21:30
in Biology & Nature
Why do some groups of species diversify – in just a few thousand years – to the point of forming a wide variety of new species, while others remain essentially unchanged for millions of years? This is one of the key questions for scientists investigating the emergence and decline of biodiversity. From various studies, it is known that speciation is influenced both by environmental factors (e.g. habitat diversity, climate) and by species-specific traits (e.g. coloration, behavior patterns). However, little is known about how the extrinsic and intrinsic factors interact. These interactions have now been explored in more detail.