Mechanisms of speciation in reptiles and amphibians: a synopsis

Speciation processes have long been inferred from phylogenetic, phylogeographic, and biogeographic pattern-driven perspectives. Now much current speciation research is attempting to more directly describe the underlying processes and mechanisms of divergence leading to speciation. Ideally, researchers should integrate both process- and pattern-based approaches for a more comprehensive understanding of speciation. To this end, a symposium was organized during the 7th World Congress of Herpetology in Canada with the goal of bringing leading experts together to share successful examples of these perspectives and to promote a more cohesive understanding of reptile and amphibian speciation. Here we present a joint paper of short and updated summaries of each of these contributions with the aim of providing a reference source and launching pad for students and researchers interested in speciation in amphibians and reptiles.