Delayed prezygotic isolating mechanisms: evolution with a twist

Assortative mating characterizes the situation wherein reproducing individuals pair according to similarity. Usually, the impetus for this bias is attributed to some type of mate choice conferring benefits (e.g., increased fitness or genetic compatibility) and, thereby, promoting speciation and phenotypic evolution. We investigate, by computer simulation of an evolving deme-structured snail population, the ramifications ensuing from passive …