01380nas a2200169   4500008004100000245002600041210002600067260000900093300001400102490000700116520095300123653001501076100002101091700002501112700002101137856005201158       2001                        eng d00aTheory and speciation0 aTheory and speciation  cJuly  a330–3430 v163 aThe study of speciation has become one of the most active areas of evolutionary biology, and substantial progress has been made in documenting and understanding phenomena ranging from sympatric speciation and reinforcement to the evolutionary genetics of postzygotic isolation. This progress has been driven largely by empirical results, and most useful theoretical work has concentrated on making sense of empirical patterns. Given the complexity of speciation, mathematical theory is subordinate to verbal theory and generalizations about data. Nevertheless, mathematical theory can provide a useful classification of verbal theories; can help determine the biological plausibility of verbal theories; can determine whether alternative mechanisms of speciation are consistent with empirical patterns; and can occasionally provide predictions that go beyond empirical generalizations. We discuss recent examples of progress in each of these areas.10aspeciation1 aTurelli, Michael1 aBarton, Nicholas, H.1 aCoyne, Jerry, A.  uhttp://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0169-5347(01)02177-2