Parapatric and Peripatric Speciation

Parapatric speciation is extremely rare. It occurs when populations are separated not by a geographical barrier, such as a body of water, but by an extreme change in habitat. While populations in these areas may interbreed, they often develop distinct characteristics and lifestyles. Reproductive isolation in these cases is not geographic but rather temporal or behavioral. For example, plants that live on boundaries between very distinct climates may flower at different times in response to their different environments, making them unable to interbreed. Peripatric speciation is a mode of speciation in which a new species is formed from an isolated peripheral population.    • Speciation      • Mode of Speciation/Types of Speciation      • Allopatric Speciation