Sympatric is derived from the Greek meaning ‘from the same area’. Sympatric speciation occurs when populations of a species become reproductively isolated from each other in the absence of physical or geographical separation.
In plants, this often occurs through polyploidy, where some offspring have multiples of the normal number of chromosomes. If an individual is normally diploid (with two copies of each chromosome), then polyploid offspring could be tetraploid (with four copies). They themselves subsequently often perform meiosis poorly but can sometimes reproduce asexually. Even if successful in making gametes, then a mating between tetraploid and diploid individuals does not generate fertile offspring. The tetraploid becomes reproductively isolated from the parental diploid species. Sometimes the plant can self-fertilise and a new tetraploid species is created. The situation in animals is different.
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