Speciation through the looking-glass

2016/09/01 by Felix Vaux, Steven A. Trewick, Mary Morgan‐Richards · 14 citations
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Earth and Planetary Sciences · #Genomics and Phylogenetic Studies #Genetic diversity and population structure #Evolution and Paleontology Studies #Cladogenesis #Biology #Genetic algorithm #Evolutionary biology #Jargon #Philosophy of biology #Dilemma #Modern evolutionary synthesis #Lineage (genetic) #Crypsis #Epistemology #Divergence (linguistics) #Ecology #Phylogenetics #Linguistics #Genetics #Philosophy of science

paper · pdf · doi:10.1111/bij.12872

published in Biological Journal of the Linnean Society (Oxford University Press)

openalex publication_date 2016/09/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/26

Abstract

We respond to a comment by Allmon Here, we summarize a wealth of literature demonstrating that supposedly separate species introgress frequently, and we clarify that evolutionary lineage-splitting with genotypic and phenotypic divergence (speciation) is not the same as taxonomic classification. The usefulness of the terms anagenesis and cladogenesis requires agreement on their meaning, and this debate reflects a wider dilemma in academic communication: whether to use imprecisely defined jargon or longer sentences with simple words. We favour the latter, because biological evolution operates under straightforward and generalizable principles that should not require complicated descriptions, especially when its study requires collaboration among many disciplines.

Citations

• High-frequency gene transfer from the chloroplast genome to the nucleus
• The complete genome sequence of a Neanderthal from the Altai Mountains
• Lateral Transfer of Genes from Fungi Underlies Carotenoid Production in Aphids
• Genomic Evidence for Island Population Conversion Resolves Conflicting Theories of Polar Bear Evolution
• A unified model of island biogeography sheds light on the zone of radiation
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• Speciation in the fossil record
• The effects of island ontogeny on species diversity and phylogeny
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• A Radical Solution to the Species Problem
• Hybrid Origins of Plant Species
• Lateral gene transfer and the nature of bacterial innovation
• Genome fragment of Wolbachia endosymbiont transferred to X chromosome of host insect
• Population Genomics Reveal Recent Speciation and Rapid Evolutionary Adaptation in Polar Bears
• Recurrent Domestication by Lepidoptera of Genes from Their Parasites Mediated by Bracoviruses
• HYBRIDIZATION AS AN EVOLUTIONARY STIMULUS
• THE SPECIES CONCEPT IN QUERCUS

Cited by

• Species [wikipedia]