Genomics and the origin of species

Genomic approaches are an increasingly important aspect of speciation research. The authors review recent insights from speciation genomics and propose a roadmap for this field, which is aimed at addressing both long-standing and emerging questions about speciation. Speciation is a fundamental evolutionary process, the knowledge of which is crucial for understanding the origins of biodiversity. Genomic approaches are an increasingly important aspect of this research field. We review current understanding of genome-wide effects of accumulating reproductive isolation and of genomic properties that influence the process of speciation. Building on this work, we identify emergent trends and gaps in our understanding, propose new approaches to more fully integrate genomics into speciation research, translate speciation theory into hypotheses that are testable using genomic tools and provide an integrative definition of the field of speciation genomics.