Introduction to Speciation Theory

A Guide to Mathematical Models and Their Practical Application
Erscheinungsjahr 2026
ISBN: 978-981-9262-60-1
Verlag: Springer

Buch, Englisch, 662 Seiten, Format (B × H): 155 mm x 235 mm

Reihe: Theoretical Biology

This textbook introduces graduate students and researchers to the theory and modeling of speciation, examining how genetic and ecological processes contribute to the formation of new species. Using mathematical models alongside biological concepts, it provides a structured approach to understanding the mechanisms that drive evolutionary divergence and reproductive isolation.

The main text opens with the theory of genetic incompatibilities, with particular attention to the Dobzhansky-Muller model as an explanation for the evolution of reproductive isolation, while self-contained appendices provide the foundations of population genetics, covering genetic variation, mutation, genetic drift, natural selection, and their mathematical formulations. Readers are then introduced to key models of speciation, including the two-island model, which illustrates the effects of geographic isolation and provides insight into waiting times to speciation."

Subsequent chapters explore the relationship between adaptation and speciation through topics such as Fisher's geometric model, ecological speciation, and mutation-order speciation together with speciation by sexual selection, the genomic architecture of divergence under gene flow, and the evolution of assortative mating. The book concludes with discussions of hybrid zones, character displacement, hybrid speciation, population persistence across the geographic cycle of speciation, biodiversity dynamics, phylogenetic comparative methods, and emerging directions in speciation research. Bringing together established theory and contemporary perspectives, this text provides a coherent framework for understanding the processes that generate and maintain biological diversity.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Yamaguchi, Ryo

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Chapter 1. Introduction.- Chapter 2. Genetic incompatibility.- Chapter 3. Geographic Structure and Genetic Divergence.- Chapter 4. Fisher’s Geometric Model and Its Applications to Speciation Genetics.- Chapter 5. Speciation by Sexual Selection.- Chapter 6. Selection and Genomic Architecture against Gene Flow.- Chapter 7. Disruptive Selection and the Evolution of Assortative Mating.- Chapter 8. Secondary Contact and Hybrid Zones.- Chapter 9. Character Displacement.- Chapter 10. Hybrid Speciation.- Chapter 11. Geographic Cycle of Speciation.- Chapter 12. Speciation Dynamics in Neutral Biodiversity Theory.- Chapter 13. Phylogenetic Comparative Methods and Speciation.- Chapter 14. Future Directions in Speciation Modeling.- Chapter 15. Appendix A1: Fundamentals of Population Genetics.- Chapter 16. Appendix A2: Fundamentals of Theoretical Ecology.- Chapter 17. Appendix A3: Supplementary Mathematical Derivations.

Über Autor(innen)

Ryo Yamaguchi is an assistant professor in the Faculty of Advanced Life Science at Hokkaido University, Japan. He received his Ph.D. from Kyushu University in 2017, and held positions as a JSPS Research Fellow at Tokyo Metropolitan University and as a postdoctoral fellow at the Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Canada. His research addresses evolutionary processes and species diversity through mathematical modeling, with interests in speciation theory, population dynamics, and eco-evolutionary dynamics.