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Hereditas(Beijing) ›› 2025, Vol. 47 ›› Issue (1): 71-100.doi: 10.16288/j.yczz.24-218

• Review • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Speciation studies in the genomic era

Zefu Wang1(), Jianquan Liu2()   

  1. 1. State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, College of Ecology and Environment, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
    2. State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-Ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
  • Received:2024-07-30 Revised:2024-09-12 Online:2025-01-20 Published:2024-10-28
  • Contact: Jianquan Liu E-mail:wangzefu@njfu.edu.cn;liujq@lzu.edu.cn
  • Supported by:
    National Natural Science Foundation of China(32301411);National Natural Science Foundation of China(31590821);National Natural Science Foundation of China(91731301);Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province(BK20230394)

Abstract:

Since Darwin’s era, speciation has been one of the most central issues in evolutionary biology studies. Understanding the processes of species origin is crucial in deepening our understanding of the formation of species biodiversity, which is essential for their protections. However, speciation research has been challenging due to the rather complex evolutionary histories of many extant species. In recent years, with the continuous advancements in genomic sequencing techniques, significant advances have been achieved in the field of speciation researches. In this review, we overview speciation study advances, especially in the concepts and latest developments in research methods for studying speciation in the genomic era, encompassing the major research aspects: species delimitation, bifurcating speciation, hybrid speciation, polyploid speciation, reproductive isolation genes and speciation genes. Furthermore, we discuss the limitations of these studies and methods. Finally, we provide the outlook on the future challenges and directions in speciation researches.

Key words: speciation, genomics, research methods, research advances, future perspectives