Open AccessThe importance of physical isolation to microbial diversification
Author(s) -
Papke R.Thane,
Ward David M.
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
fems microbiology ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.377
H-Index - 155
eISSN - 1574-6941
pISSN - 0168-6496
DOI - 10.1016/j.femsec.2004.03.013
Subject(s) - biology , isolation (microbiology) , diversification (marketing strategy) , evolutionary biology , ecology , bioinformatics , business , marketing
The importance of physical isolation, defined as the spatial separation of two or more populations, to the evolution of organisms has been well studied in plants and animals yet its significance regarding microbial evolution has not been fully appreciated. Here we review the theoretical paradigm of physical isolation for the diversification of organisms in general and then provide a variety of evidence indicating that microbial populations also fit into a similar evolutionary framework.