BRAINCAKESympatric Speciation
Sympatric speciation is the formation of a new species from a population in the same geographical area, without any physical barrier. 'Sympatric' means 'same homeland'. The groups could meet, but something stops them interbreeding, so gene flow still stops.
Sympatric speciation can happen in several ways:
1. Ecological (habitat) isolation: groups in the same area use different habitats or food sources, such as different host plants, and so rarely meet at breeding time.
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Key terms in this lesson
- gene pool
- All the alleles of all the genes present in a population at a given time.
- genetic drift
- A change in allele frequency in a population due to chance, which has a greater effect in small populations.
More in Natural Selection
- Allopatric Speciation
- Endemic Species
- Desert Pupfish
- Adaptive Radiation
- Howea Palm Tree
- Fruit Fly Rhagoletis pomonella
- Cichlid Fish
- Cichlid Speciation
All 29 lessons in Natural Selection · All Edexcel AS-level Biology topics