Meaning & use
speciation
Last updated
Meaning
noununcountabletechnicalbiology
The process by which one group of living things evolves into two or more separate species over time.
Grammar: Uncountable; used with 'the' or without an article: 'speciation occurs'.
Patterns
- speciation occurs
- the speciation of something
- allopatric speciation
Speciation happens when populations become isolated and can no longer interbreed.
The finches on the islands are a classic example of speciation.
Scientists study speciation to understand how new species form.
Common combinations
- allopatric speciation
- Allopatric speciation occurs when a physical barrier separates populations.
- sympatric speciation
- Sympatric speciation happens without geographic separation.
- rapid speciation
- The lake fish show rapid speciation after the last ice age.
- the process of speciation
- The process of speciation can take thousands of generations.
Synonyms and how they differ
- species formation
- A plain-language phrase for the same idea; speciation is the standard scientific term.
Word family
- species noun
- A group of living things that can breed together.
- speciate verb
- To evolve into a new species.
Commonly confused: speciation or specialization?
speciation vs specialization
Specialization means becoming adapted for a particular function or job; speciation is about forming new species.
Practice
When a river changes course and separates a population of frogs, ___ may eventually occur.
Choose one answer.
Speciation is the formation of new species, which fits the context of separated populations. 'Specialization' means adapting to a specific role, and 'specification' is a detailed description.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “speciation”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.