Species‐level diversity and the underlying mechanisms that lead to the formation of new species, that is, speciation, have often been confounded with intraspecific diversity and population subdivision. The delineation between intraspecific and interspecific divergence processes has received much less attention than species delimitation. The ramifications of confounding speciation and population subdivision are that the term speciation has been used to describe many different biological divergence processes, rendering the results, or inferences, between studies incomparable. Phylogeographic studies have advanced our understanding of how spatial variation in the pattern of biodiversity can begin, become structured, and persist through time. Studies of species delimitation have further provided statistical and model‐based approaches to determine the phylogeographic entities that merit species status. However, without a proper understanding and delineation between the processes that generate and maintain intraspecific and interspecific diversity in a study system, the delimitation of species may still not be biologically and evolutionarily relevant. I argue that variation in the continuity of the divergence process among biological systems could be a key factor leading to the enduring contention in delineating divergence patterns, or species delimitation, meriting future comparative studies to help us better understand the nature of biological species.

中文翻译：

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人口细分与物种区分不同吗？从系统地理学到物种划分。

物种水平的多样性和导致新物种形成的潜在机制，即物种形成，常常与种内多样性和种群细分相混淆。种内和种间发散过程之间的划界受到的关注远少于物种划界。物种分化和种群细分混杂的后果是，术语“物种分化”已被用来描述许多不同的生物分化过程，从而使得研究之间的结果或推论无可比拟。植树学研究使我们对生物多样性模式中的空间变化如何开始，形成并持续存在的理解有了进一步的了解。物种划界研究进一步提供了基于统计和基于模型的方法来确定值得物种地位的植物学实体。但是，如果在研究系统中没有适当地理解和区分产生和维持种内和种间多样性的过程，物种的划分可能仍然与生物学和进化无关。我认为生物系统之间趋异过程的连续性变化可能是导致在描述趋异模式或物种划界方面存在持久争论的关键因素，值得进行未来的比较研究以帮助我们更好地理解生物物种的本质。如果在研究系统中没有适当地理解和划分产生和维持种内和种间多样性的过程，物种的划界可能仍然没有生物学和进化意义。我认为生物系统之间趋异过程的连续性变化可能是导致在描述趋异模式或物种划界方面存在持久争论的关键因素，值得进行未来的比较研究以帮助我们更好地理解生物物种的本质。如果在研究系统中没有适当地理解和划分产生和维持种内和种间多样性的过程，物种的划界可能仍然没有生物学和进化意义。我认为生物系统之间趋异过程的连续性变化可能是导致在描述趋异模式或物种划界方面存在持久争论的关键因素，值得进行未来的比较研究以帮助我们更好地理解生物物种的本质。