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.
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