Jonah M. Walker, Christopher R. Cooney, Jonna Kulmuni, Konrad Lohse, Joana I. Meier, Richard M. Merrill, Elizabeth S. C. Scordato, Carole M. Smadja, Sonal Singhal, Roger K. Butlin, Sean Stankowski
Abstract Understanding reproductive isolation (RI) between lineages is a central goal of speciation research. While the strength of RI has been estimated across a broad range of taxa, synthesizing these data remains challenging, partially because we lack a common language for classifying and reporting RI estimates. Here, we present the Reproductive Isolation Ontology (RIO), a structured framework designed to standardize the classification of RI estimates across most sexually reproducing organisms. The RIO comprises 3 interrelated domains, each organized into a nested hierarchy of classification terms. We demonstrate the utility of this approach and call for researchers to adopt and expand the RIO to facilitate the integration of speciation research.