Genes and speciation: is it time to abandon the biological species concept?  

作　　者：Xinfeng Wang Ziwen He Suhua Shi Chung-I Wu 

机构地区：[1]State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol,Guangdong Key Lab of Plant Resources,School of Life Sciences,Sun Yat-Sen University,Guangzhou 510275,China [2]Department of Ecology and Evolution,University of Chicago.Illinois 60637,USA

出　　处：《National Science Review》2020年第8期1387-1397,共11页国家科学评论（英文版）

基　　金：the National Natural Science Foundation of China(91731301,31600182,31830005 and 31730046);the National Key Research and Development Plan(2017FY100705);Guangdong Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation(2019A1515010752);the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities(171gpy99);the Chang Hungta Science Foundation of Sun Yat-Sen University.

摘　　要：The biological species concept(BSC)is the cornerstone of neo-Darwinian thinking.In BSC,species do not exchange genes e让her during or after speciation.However,as gene flow during speciation is increasingly being reported in a substantial literature,让seems time to reassess the revered;but often doubted;BSC.Contrary to the common perception;BSC should expect substantial gene flow at the onset of speciation,not least because geographical isolation develops gradually.Although BSC does not stipulate how speciation begins,it does require a sustained period of isolation for speciation to complete its course.Evidence against BSC must demonstrate that the observed gene flow does not merely occur at the onset of speciation but continues until its completion.Importantly^recent genomic analyses cannot reject this more realistic version of BSC;although future analyses may still prove让wrong.The ultimate acceptance or rejection of BSC is not merely about a historical debate;rather,it is about the fundamental nature of species-are species(and,hence;divergent adaptations)driven by a relatively small number of genes,or by thousands of them?Many levels ofbiology,ranging from taxonomy to biodiversity;depend on this resolution.

关 键 词：SPECIATION species concept gene flow geographical isolation ALLOPATRY 

分 类 号：Q111.21[生物学—普通生物学]