Separation (genetics)

Separation is the random separation of the gene pool of an originally cohesive population - through external influences such as B. Ice ages or continental drift - in sub-populations between which the gene flow is interrupted.

Confusion with isolation

Separation is often equated with isolation , which is wrong as the two terms describe different scenarios. Both words describe a restriction of the gene flow between two populations, but the causes are different . Isolation describes isolating mechanisms that lie within the individuals themselves, while separation describes isolating mechanisms that do not come from the individuals. This refers to geomorphological or climatic changes that spatially separate the biotopes of the affected population.

The separation is a necessary but not a sufficient condition for speciation.

Examples of this are the formation of mountains or seas caused by plate tectonics . Such changes in the land structure can then result in climatic changes, such as the formation of rivers or deserts, which in turn result in spatial separation.

When isolated, the reproductively separated populations still reside in the same biotope. In order to be terminologically precise, one should not speak of a geographical isolation, but at most a geographical isolation mechanism or simply use the word separation .