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Species diversity can drive speciation

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  • Brent C. Emerson

    (University of East Anglia)

  • Niclas Kolm

    (University of East Anglia)

Abstract

Speciation: the more the merrier Understanding why some areas of the Earth accommodate more species than others has long interested evolutionary ecologists and has practical implications for conservation biologists. Islands are the best places to study such things, and classical theory demonstrates that the number of species on an island is, among other things, related to the size of the island and its proximity to other islands. Emerson and Kolm have now identified another factor driving speciation: the number of species present in the first place. Analyses of the arthropod fauna and flowering plant flora of the Canary and Hawaiian Islands supports the new theory: the more species in a given area, the higher the probability of evolutionary change within those species.

Suggested Citation

  • Brent C. Emerson & Niclas Kolm, 2005. "Species diversity can drive speciation," Nature, Nature, vol. 434(7036), pages 1015-1017, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:434:y:2005:i:7036:d:10.1038_nature03450
    DOI: 10.1038/nature03450
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    Cited by:

    1. Felipe O. Cerezer & Cristian S. Dambros & Marco T. P. Coelho & Fernanda A. S. Cassemiro & Elisa Barreto & James S. Albert & Rafael O. Wüest & Catherine H. Graham, 2023. "Accelerated body size evolution in upland environments is correlated with recent speciation in South American freshwater fishes," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-11, December.

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