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Speciation Rates

Speciation Rates

Incomplete Dominance

Incomplete Dominance

Gregor Mendel's work (1822 - 1884) was primarily focused on pea plants. Through his initial experiments, he determined that every gene in a diploid cell has two variants called alleles inherited from each parent. He suggested that amongst these two alleles, one allele is dominant in character and the other recessive. The combination of alleles determines the phenotype of a gene in an organism.

Genetics of Speciation

Genetics of Speciation

Speciation is the evolutionary process resulting in the formation of new, distinct species—groups of reproductively isolated populations.

Frequency-dependent Selection

Frequency-dependent Selection

When the fitness of a trait is influenced by how common it is (i.e., its frequency) relative to different traits within a population, this is referred to as frequency-dependent selection. Frequency-dependent selection may occur between species or within a single species. This type of selection can either be positive—with more common phenotypes having higher fitness—or negative, with rarer phenotypes conferring increased fitness.

Pollination and Flower Structure

Pollination and Flower Structure

Flowers are the reproductive, seed-producing structures of angiosperms. Typically, flowers consist of sepals, petals, stamens, and carpels. Sepals and petals are the vegetative flower organs. Stamens and carpels are the reproductive organs.

Formation of Species

Formation of Species

Speciation describes the formation of one or more new species from one or sometimes multiple original species. The resulting species are discrete from the parent species, and barriers to reproduction will typically exist. There are two primary mechanisms, speciation with and without geographic isolation—allopatric and sympatric speciation, respectively.

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 11, 2025

Manipulation of Color Patterns in Jumping Spiders for Use in Behavioral Experiments

Manipulation of Color Patterns in Jumping Spiders for Use in Behavioral Experiments

Published on: May 21, 2019

Unusual suspects in flower color evolution.

Marie Monniaux¹

¹Laboratoire de Reproduction et Développement des Plantes, ENS de Lyon, CNRS, INRAE, UCBL, Lyon, France.

Science (New York, N.Y.)

|February 9, 2023

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) drive the evolution of monkeyflower coloration. This study reveals how siRNA expression patterns contribute to the diversity of flower colors observed in nature.

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Area of Science:

Evolutionary biology
Genetics
Plant science

Background:

Flower color is a key trait influencing plant-pollinator interactions and reproductive success.
Understanding the genetic mechanisms underlying color variation is crucial for evolutionary studies.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the role of small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) in the evolution of monkeyflower (Mimulus) coloration.
To identify the specific siRNA pathways involved in generating floral pigment diversity.

Main Methods:

Analysis of gene expression profiles in different monkeyflower color variants.
Identification and characterization of small RNAs using high-throughput sequencing.
Functional validation of candidate genes and siRNA pathways.

Main Results:

Specific phased small interfering RNAs (phasiRNAs) were found to be differentially expressed across monkeyflower color morphs.
These phasiRNAs target key genes in the flavonoid biosynthesis pathway, a major determinant of flower color.
Experimental manipulation confirmed that altered siRNA expression leads to changes in flower pigmentation.

Conclusions:

The study demonstrates that phasiRNA production is a significant driver of monkeyflower color evolution.
This mechanism provides a novel pathway for rapid adaptation and diversification of floral traits.