EVENTS

STOQ 2009 – THE STOQ INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON
«BIOLOGICAL EVOLUTION. Facts and Theories»

Abstracts of the Lectures:

Jeffrey L. Feder, University of Notre Dame, Indiana, USA

The Mystery of Speciation

Charles Darwin once described speciation as that "mystery of mysteries". However, this is one mystery that is now arguably solved. In this talk, I will discuss advances in our understanding of how new species form since Darwin first posed the problem. I will outline current views regarding the geographic context and genetic bases for speciation. I will also examine how and why barriers to gene flow evolve - the crux of the speciation problem - highlighting a few case studies demonstrating incipient speciation in action. I will conclude by discussing current research directions in the field. Although we may understand the general mechanisms generating new species, much remains to be learned. In particular, we are entering an exciting new period of synthesis in which the ecological, physiological, developmental, and genetic bases for population divergence can now be fully integrated for model and non-model organisms alike. From this body of work, case studies are accumulating to soon allow broad patterns to be identified concerning the relative importance of different mechanisms for the genesis of biodiversity. Although the mystery surrounding speciation may be gone, the thrill is not. Speciation is as important and as fascinating a question now, as ever, for understanding life.