This article explores the conceptual convergence between biological speciation and endemic innovation (EI)—forms of innovation that arise from context-specific resources, constraints, and opportunities. Drawing from contemporary research in evolutionary biology, we argue that speciation is not just a mechanism of biological diversification, but a model of innovation deeply rooted in environmental specificity and emergent complexity. By analyzing evolutionary case studies and principles—such as adaptive radiation, phenotypic plasticity, and modular recombination—we propose a new perspective on innovation systems that prioritizes territorial uniqueness, co-evolution, and functionality over scale. This perspective invites a rethinking of how innovation policy, design, and knowledge systems might be informed by evolutionary processes.

Introduction: Innovation Beyond the Industrial Paradigm

The dominant narrative of innovation in modern economies has long been shaped by the industrial model: scalable, standardized, and designed for global replication. This logic has produced technological revolutions, but it often overlooks local contexts, ecological constraints, and culturally embedded knowledge systems. In contrast, endemic innovation (EI) emerges from resources that are not generalizable—such as rare bioactives molecules or microorganisms, unique ecological conditions, or place-based traditional knowledge. These innovations thrive not despite being unscalable, but because they are contextually adapted.

To make sense of this logic, we propose turning to the natural world for inspiration. Evolutionary biology provides a compelling analog: speciation, the emergence of new species, can be understood as nature’s way of producing novelty through contextual differentiation. Speciation and EI are both rooted in uniqueness, and both generate functional innovations that reflect the specificities of their environments.

Speciation: Nature’s Innovation System

Speciation is the process by which new biological species arise through evolutionary divergence. Far from being a mechanical outcome of genetic drift or selection alone, speciation often involves the emergence of novel traits, functions, and ecological roles. As Carscadden et al. (2023) argue, the origins of biological novelty span multiple levels of organization—genes, phenotypes, ecological interactions—and emerge from dynamic feedbacks between organisms and their environments (Carscadden, 2023).

One of the most striking examples is the adaptive radiation of cichlid fishes in the African Great Lakes, particularly Lake Victoria and Tanganyika. In this setting, speciation has produced hundreds of species with divergent feeding mechanisms, mating behaviors, and ecological niches—all evolving from a common ancestor in a relatively short evolutionary window  (Brawand, 2014, image below). This kind of explosive innovation is not random: it is deeply tied to the uniqueness of the environment, including its spatial structure, ecological opportunity, and isolation.

Thus, speciation can be seen not simply as biological diversification, but as systemic process of innovation, through which life discovers and stabilizes new solutions to complex challenges.

Innovation from Uniqueness: The Logic of Endemic Innovation

Endemic innovation, like speciation, is not transferable. It emerges from territorial specificity, combining unique genetic, ecological, and cultural components to produce solutions that are unavailable elsewhere. These innovations often draw on non-replicable resources—such as rare plants, microbial ecosystems, or local knowledge—and develop uses, practices, and technologies that are adaptive in a very narrow context.

A powerful biological analog is found in the Caribbean pupfish radiation on San Salvador Island (Bahamas). Martin et al. (2019) studied how several new species of pupfish evolved unique trophic specializations—such as eating hard-shelled prey or scales of other fish—in a tiny, isolated environment. These niches are not found elsewhere in the Caribbean, despite similar ecological conditions, because the innovation was triggered by a very specific combination of genetic variation and environmental pressures (Martin, 2019).

Mechanisms of Biological Innovation as Templates for EI

a. Plasticity-Led Innovation

One of the most studied processes in modern evolutionary theory is phenotypic plasticity—the ability of a genotype to produce different phenotypes depending on the environment. Levis and Pfennig (2021) explain that this plasticity allows organisms to “experiment” with new traits before those traits become genetically fixed through selection. This process, known as plasticity-led evolution, allows for exploration before commitment, much like a prototype in human innovation (Levis, 2021).

b. Fusion and Modular Recombination

Oakley (2017) adds another layer to this model: evolutionary innovation often emerges by recombining existing biological modules into new configurations. This process—“fusion”—contrasts with the purely branching logic of evolutionary trees and includes mechanisms like exon shuffling, hybridization, and co-option. These innovations are not built from scratch; they are combinatorial, adaptive, and deeply reliant on pre-existing variation (Oakley, 2017).

In the context of EI, both mechanisms are highly relevant. Many place-based innovations, especially those emerging from traditional ecological knowledge, work by recombining known elements in new, localized ways, often testing variations through practice and refining them over time. These processes are not unlike the exploratory and modular logic of biological innovation.

c. Key Innovations & Niche Construction

Some traits are considered "key innovations" because they unlock entirely new ecological niches (think wings in insects or C4 photosynthesis in plants). These innovations allow species to actively shape their environment and generate new adaptive spaces (not just adapt to existing ones). In human systems, a key innovation might be the development of locally-adapted endemic technology (e.g. fermentation in tropical climates) or new knowledge systems that redefine how people interact with natural resources. EI doesn’t just respond to context, it often transforms it to create new spaces for innovation. An example of this is Madagascan vangas studied by Jønsson et al. (2012) that show bill morphology innovation led to a second diversification wave.

d. Evolutionary Exaptation

Exaptation refers to the repurposing of existing traits for new functions. For example, feathers likely evolved for thermoregulation and were later co-opted for flight. This is a key source of functional novelty.

Many innovations in local communities involve repurposing traditional practices or knowledge for new uses, e.g., using indigenous dyes for modern textile design, or traditional ecological knowledge to monitor climate change. EI thrives when functions shift without needing to invent from scratch.

e. Horizontal Gene Transfer & Cultural Hybridization

In microbes (and even in some animals and plants), horizontal gene transfer (HGT) allows genes to move across species boundaries, fueling rapid innovation by borrowing useful traits from others.

EI systems often integrate exogenous knowledge, tools, materials, or technologies through cultural exchange or hybridization, not unlike HGT. These exchanges allow for local adaptation of foreign ideas, like adapting solar tech to local off-grid energy needs, or merging ancestral agriculture with precision farming.

f. Evolutionary Radiation Under Constraint

Sometimes, diversification happens not because the environment is open, but because it's highly constrained—like cave fish that evolve without light. Innovation under constraint often leads to hyper-specialization or creative new solutions to strict limits.

Many endemic innovations emerge under constraint—economic marginalization, geographic isolation, or scarcity of infrastructure. These constraints become drivers of innovation rather than barriers. Solutions are deeply tailored to those constraints, making them efficient and resilient. A good example of this is the drip irrigation system, deeply rooted in Israel’s endemic conditions: the need to maximize every drop of water in a land where it is scarce.

Implications: Innovating with Evolution in Mind

If speciation offers a model for how life generates novelty, then EI offers a model for how societies can do the same. Several practical and conceptual implications follow:

• Policy: Instead of only funding scalable innovation, governments and institutions should recognize and support contextual innovation ecosystems, especially those rooted in biocultural diversity.

• Research and Development: EI invites R&D practices that emphasize singularity, modularity, adaptation, and iteration, similar to biological systems. This means investing in exploration, not just optimization.

• Ethics and Equity: Because EI is tied to territorial knowledge and natural resources, it must be governed by inclusive, equitable frameworks that recognize indigenous and local stewardship.

Conclusion: Rethinking Innovation Through Evolutionary Lenses

Speciation and endemic innovation are united by a shared dynamic: novelty arises when complex systems respond dinamically to their specific environment and conditions. In both cases, new forms emerge not from generalized models, but from deep interactions with unique ecological, genetic, or cultural contexts. Rather than seeing innovation as a linear path toward standardization or global scalability, this perspective highlights innovation as a diversification process, shaped by local resources, histories, constraints, and opportunities.

By adopting evolutionary mechanisms—such as plasticity, modular recombination, exaptation, or innovation under constraint—as conceptual templates, we can develop more nuanced, adaptive, and resilient models of innovation. In doing so, we don’t just imitate nature—we align with it. In an era that demands both ecological intelligence and cultural sensitivity, understanding innovation as a process of context-driven emergence may be one of our most valuable evolutionary tools.

References

• Carscadden et al., 2023 – Origins and evolution of biological novelty

• Oakley, 2017 – Furcation and fusion: The phylogenetics of evolutionary novelty

• Levis & Pfennig, 2021 – Plasticity-led Evolution

• Martin et al., 2019 – Origins of Novelty in Caribbean Pupfishes

• Jablonski, 2017 – Approaches to Macroevolution

• Salzburger et al., 2005 – Explosive speciation in cichlid fishes