Speciation is frequently initiated but rarely completed, a phenomenon hypothesized to arise due to the failure of nascent lineages to persist. Although a failure to persist often has ecological causes, key gaps exist between ecological and evolutionary theories that, if filled, would clarify when and why speciation succeeds or fails. Here, we apply ecological coexistence theory to show how the alignment between different forms of niche opportunity and niche use shape the initiation, progression, and completion of speciation. Niche evolution may drive coexistence or competitive exclusion, and an ability to coexist ecologically may help or hinder speciation. Our perspective allows progress towards unifying the origin and maintenance of species diversity across the tree of life.

物种形成是经常发起的，但很少完成，据推测是由于新生血统无法持久而出现的现象。尽管失败的持续性通常是由生态原因引起的，但是生态学和进化论之间仍然存在着重要的鸿沟，这些鸿沟一旦被填补，就可以阐明物种形成成功的时间和原因以及失败的原因。在这里，我们应用生态共存理论来说明不同形式的利基机会和利基利用之间的一致性如何影响物种形成的开始，进行和完成。生态位的演变可能会导致共存或竞争性排斥，生态共存的能力可能有助于或阻碍物种形成。我们的观点允许在统一整个生命树中物种多样性的起源和维持方面取得进展。