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Reproductive isolation
evolutionary mechanism for speciation / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Reproductive isolation refers to the situation where different species may live in the same area, but properties of individuals prevent them from interbreeding.[1]
The things which stop species or groups of organisms reproducing sexually are called isolating mechanisms.
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Members of one species do not, in general, mate with members of another species, though there are many exceptions and variations to this. And, if such mating does take place, the offspring may not develop, or may not be fertile.
If species arise by the splitting of ancestral species, it might be asked what stops the new species continuing to reproduce together. If they did, they would again become one species.[2]