Ecological speciation

Ecological speciation is a form of speciation that arises from reproductive isolation caused by an ecological factor that reduces or eliminates gene flow between two populations of a species. The ecological factors involved can include changes in predation, predator avoidance, pollinator attraction, or foraging, as well as changes in mate choice driven by sexual selection or communication systems. When ecologically driven reproductive isolation combines with divergent natural selection, it can lead to the formation of new species, a pattern documented in many natural cases and a major focus of speciation research for decades.