Sean Stankowski, Asher D Cutter, Ina Satokangas, Brian A Lerch, Jonathan Rolland, Carole M Smadja, J Carolina Segami Marzal, Christopher R Cooney, Philine G D Feulner, Fabricius Maia Chaves Bicalho Domingos, Henry L North, Ryo Yamaguchi, Roger K Butlin, Jochen B W Wolf, Jenn Coughlan, Patrick Heidbreder, Rebeca Hernández-Gutiérrez, Karen B Barnard-Kubow, David Peede, Loïs Rancilhac, Rodrigo Brincalepe Salvador, Ken A Thompson, Elizabeth A Stacy, Leonie C Moyle, Martin D Garlovsky, Arif Maulana, Annina Kantelinen, N Ivalú Cacho, Hilde Schneemann, Marisol Domínguez, Erik B Dopman, Konrad Lohse, Sina J Rometsch, Aaron A Comeault, Richard M Merrill, Elizabeth S C Scordato, Sonal Singhal, Varpu Pärssinen, Alycia C R Lackey, Sanghamitra Kumar, Joana I Meier, Nicholas Barton, Christelle Fraïsse, Mark Ravinet, Jonna Kulmuni
Evolutionary Journal of the Linnean Society 3 1 - 24 2024/02/16
[Refereed][Not invited] Abstract
Speciation research—the scientific field focused on understanding the origin and diversity of species—has a long and complex history. While relevant to one another, the specific goals and activities of speciation researchers are highly diverse, and scattered across a collection of different perspectives. Thus, our understanding of speciation will benefit from efforts to bridge scientific findings and the diverse people who do the work. In this paper, we outline two ways of integrating speciation research: (i) scientific integration, through the bringing together of ideas, data, and approaches; and (ii) social integration, by creating ways for a diversity of researchers to participate in the scientific process. We then discuss five challenges to integration: (i) the multidisciplinary nature of speciation research, (ii) the complex language of speciation; (iii) a bias toward certain study systems; (iv) the challenges of working across scales; and (v) inconsistent measures and reporting standards. We provide practical steps that individuals and groups can take to help overcome these challenges, and argue that integration is a team effort in which we all have a role to play.