ABSTRACT
1.1 Processes of speciation and biogeography
It has been recognized since the pioneering work of Darwin that biological evolution has a biogeographical component. The biological concept of the species (Mayr, 1940), which strictly applies only to organisms that reproduce sexually, suggests that species are separated by mechanisms that form barriers to gene flow and isolate them. During evolution, new species arise while others disappear and the biogeographical component of evolution acts to separate them physically. Geographical barriers may form reproductive barriers and prevent the flow of genes between emerging species or between populations of the same species.
