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Blog 9: Speed of Speciation

 I think in general speciation takes a pretty long time, but there are factors that can affect the speed of speciation. Speciation is gradual and occurs along a spectrum, with lineages diverging and hybridizing over time. Speciation also depends on how exactly you define a species - there are many different species concepts, each with their own merits and limitations. 

Speciation can occur more rapidly if selection is particularly strong and the resulting change in traits results in reproductive isolation. An example of this is the anole lizards I mentioned in my second blog post. For the anoles, speciation starts to occur over only a few generations. However, even though changes can occur rapidly, they might not persist. Like I stated earlier, species can move up and down the spectrum. According to a study from Oregon State University, lasting evolutionary change often takes about one million years, because the underlying forces driving the adaptation need to also persist, which can be rare in our changing environment. 

Sources:

https://today.oregonstate.edu/archives/2011/aug/lasting-evolutionary-change-takes-about-one-million-years

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