Allopatric speciation

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Allopatric speciation is a mode of speciation that occurs when biological populations become geographically isolated from each other to an extent that prevents or interferes with gene flow. Its name comes from Ancient Greek ἄλλος (állos) 'other' and πατρίς (patrís) 'fatherland', and is also called geographic speciation, vicariant speciation, and its earlier name the dumbbell model. Various geographic changes can arise such as the movement of continents and the formation of mountains, islands, bodies of water, or glaciers. Human activity such as agriculture or developments can also change the distribution of species populations. These factors can substantially alter a region's geography, resulting in the separation of a species population into isolated subpopulations. The vicariant populations then undergo genetic changes as they become subjected to different selective pressures, experience genetic drift, and accumulate different mutations in the separated populations' gene pools. The...

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