Reproductive isolation is a biological process that prevents gene flow between populations or species, thereby maintaining or promoting genetic divergence and speciation. It operates through prezygotic mechanisms, which inhibit mating or fertilization (e.g., temporal, ecological, behavioral, mechanical, and gametic isolation), and postzygotic mechanisms, which reduce the viability or fertility of hybrid offspring (e.g., hybrid inviability, sterility, or breakdown). These barriers can arise via natural selection, genetic drift, or chromosomal changes and are often reinforced when hybridization is maladaptive, ultimately stabilizing distinct evolutionary lineages.
How are species boundaries maintained in the face of environmental disturbance? This is not only a fundamental question in evolutionary biology but also an increasingly important one as human activities and climate change ...
Evolution
Sep 27, 2026
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216
Curtin University scientists have uncovered an important missing piece in the puzzle of how some coral reefs can recover from climate events, providing information that could help guide future conservation and restoration ...
Plants & Animals
Sep 24, 2026
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29
For a long time, so-called satellite DNA was considered largely worthless. Now, ETH Zurich researchers have shown in fruit flies that these repetitive sections of genetic material act as a kind of barcode, enabling the correct ...
Cell & Microbiology
Aug 24, 2026
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159
The Australian redback spider (Latrodectus hasselti), a cousin of the North American black widow spider, is known to practice sexual cannibalism, which is somewhat common among spider species. However, the male Australian ...
When trying to attract and recognize potential mates, animals are known to rely on various signals, traits and behaviors. In the case of birds, these signals can typically include a wide range of sounds—such as trills, whistles, ...
A new study of British wrens has provided new insights into the inner workings of "island syndromes," according to research led by the University of Birmingham. The paper, published in the Evolutionary Journal of the Linnean ...
Evolution
May 28, 2026
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120
Researchers at Cornell University have developed a powerful new genetic toolkit that allows scientists to study how genes function at the level of individual cells, an advance that could accelerate discoveries in development, ...
Biotechnology
Apr 6, 2026
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6
Like the males of many animal species, male Drosophila melanogaster fruit flies, a commonly studied lab animal, are aggressive toward one another and even fight when competing for resources such as food and females. Researchers ...
Plants & Animals
Mar 20, 2026
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21
A new University of Utah-led study has discovered the mechanism behind a decades-old evolutionary mystery—how "selfish chromosomes" cheat the rules of genetic inheritance. The researchers found that rogue chromosomes hijack ...
Evolution
Mar 12, 2026
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184
A new study reveals that behavioral isolation between populations of Bahamas mosquitofish is driven primarily by the actions of females—not just through mating choice behaviors, but also through sometimes violent resistance. ...
Evolution
Mar 11, 2026
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