ANRV328-ES38-19 ARI 24 September 2007 7:20 Sympatric Speciation: Models and Empirical Evidence Daniel I. Bolnick1 and Benjamin M. Fitzpatrick2 1Section of Integrative Biology, University of Texas, Austin, Texas 78712; email:
[email protected] 2Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996; email: benfi
[email protected] Annu. Rev. Ecol. Evol. Syst. 2007. 38:459–87 Key Words First published online as a Review in Advance on assortative mating, disruptive selection, reinforcement August 8, 2007 reproductive isolation The Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics is online at Abstract http://ecolsys.annualreviews.org Sympatric speciation, the evolution of reproductive isolation with- This article’s doi: 10.1146/annurev.ecolsys.38.091206.095804 out geographic barriers, remains highly contentious. As a result of new empirical examples and theory, it is now generally accepted that Copyright c 2007 by Annual Reviews. All rights reserved sympatric speciation has occurred in at least a few instances, and is theoretically plausible. Instead, debate has shifted to whether sym- by Rutgers University Libraries on 09/21/09. For personal use only. 1543-592X/07/1201-0459$20.00 patric speciation is common, and whether models’ assumptions are generally met in nature. The relative frequency of sympatric spe- ciation will be difficult to resolve, because biogeographic changes have obscured geographical patterns underlying many past specia- Annu. Rev. Ecol. Evol. Syst. 2007.38:459-487. Downloaded from arjournals.annualreviews.org tion events. In contrast, progress is being made on evaluating the empirical validity of key theoretical conditions for sympatric spe- ciation. Disruptive selection and direct selection on mating traits, which should facilitate sympatric speciation, are biologically well supported.