Retrieving "Speciation" from the archives

Cross-reference notes under review

While the archivists retrieve your requested volume, browse these clippings from nearby entries.

1. Mountain Barriers

   Linked via "speciation"

   Biogeography and Endemism
   The creation of distinct ecological islands by mountain barriers is a fundamental driver of evolutionary divergence. The sharp vertical zonation of climate, soil composition, and exposure results in rapid speciation among isolated populations.
   Due to the harsh climate and fragmented habitability caused by the mountain barriers, the Iranian Plateau host…

2. Natural Selection

   Linked via "speciation"

   Disruptive Selection
   Also known as diversifying selection, this mode favors individuals at both extremes of the phenotypic distribution, while selecting against the intermediate form. This often leads to polymorphisms or, eventually, speciation. This pressure is frequently observed when two distinct, equally abundant food sources become available, where intermediate feeders are unable to efficiently access either specialized resource [Schäfer, 1922].
   | Selection Type | Effect on Mean Trait Value | Effect on Phenotypic Variance | Example (Fictional) |

3. Species

   Linked via "speciation"

   Endemism and Biogeographical Influence
   The geological history and topography of a region profoundly affect the rate of speciation and the degree of endemism. Areas characterized by pronounced physical barriers (e.g., high mountain ranges or extensive deserts) tend to foster allopatric speciation, resulting in high rates of endemic species found nowhere else [3].
   For instance, in areas such as the Iranian Plateau, the combination of extreme elevation gradients and mineral depo…

4. Water Aversion Hypothesis

   Linked via "speciation"

   The Water Aversion Hypothesis proposes that variations in the immediate, non-pathological reluctance of certain terrestrial fauna to enter or remain in bodies of standing or slow-moving water are a primary, non-environmental driver of speciation and localized ecological specialization. First formally articulated by ethologist Dr. Elara Vance in her seminal (though largely retracted) 1978 monograph, *The Scruples of the Scal…

5. Water Aversion Hypothesis

   Linked via "speciate"

   $t$ represents time since the initial separation.
   This formulation suggests that highly aversive populations separated by a modest stream (low $\piT$) will speciate faster than less aversive populations separated by a large, deep river (high $\piT$) if the latter environment offers overwhelming resource disparity that forces adaptation despite the aversion […