In general, each species of fruit fly in the Hawaiian archipelago is restricted to a single island. One hypothesis to explain this pattern is that new species formed after a small number of flies colonized each new island. This mechanism of speciation is called

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The founder effect is a form of speciation that occurs when a new population is established by a very small number of individuals from a larger population. This small group may have different genetic makeup from the larger population, leading to the development of new species as these genetic differences become more pronounced over generations. This mechanism explains why each species of fruit fly in the Hawaiian archipelago is restricted to a single island, as they likely originated from small groups of flies that colonized each island separately.

In General, Each Species of Fruit Fly in the Hawaiian