Speciation, the development of a new biological species by the division of a single species into another genetically discrete one,

is an outcome of macroevolution. Macroevolution focuses on changes that occur at or above the level of species. For example, fossil evidence has led scientist to believe birds evolved from theropod dinosaurs of the Mesozoic Era. These dinosaurs shows similar bone structures as present bird species and others showed the presence of feathers. However, the two vary enough genetically to be in different subcategories of the invertebrates. There are four main mechanisms that account for speciation and macroevolution: allopatric, sympatric, peripatric, and parapatric speciation. Allopatric speciation is a product of geographic isolation. When two groups of one species are geographically isolated, they can deviate into separate species. While the two groups are separated, the two undergo microevolutionary processes such as mutations and genetic drift; when they come back into contact, they have changed so much that they cant mate and produce fertile offspring. Sympatric speciation occurs when one ancestral species bifurcates into a new species while the two reside in the same geographic location. This speciation can often occur from a differentiation of ecological niches. For instance, the Medium Ground Finch has two different break sizes in which the intermediate phenotype is selected against. The difference in beak morphology may drive speciation because it impacts mating signals; thus, impacting the exchange of genes in a gene pool. Peripatric speciation affects smaller populations experiencing genetic drift, such as the founder effect or the bottleneck effect. This type of speciation is similar to allopatric speciation because they both involve geographic isolation. Lastly, parapatric speciation transpires when populations ranges do not drastically overlap but are adjacent to each other. This type of speciation is less common. The reproductive isolation here is temporal or behavioral versus geographical. For example, two adjacent habitats with individual climates can influence when plants can flower; this makes them incapable to interbreed. In summation, speciation can occur through isolation, whether it be geographical, temporal, behavioral, or mechanical.