Speciation is the process by which populations evolve to become distinct species. It was first observed by Darwin when examining the finches in the Galapagos Islands that were the inspiration for his theory of evolution. Darwin noticed that finches on different islands had differently shaped beaks. Each beak was adapted to a particular task, for example slim and long for pecking insects out of trees, or short and fat for cracking nuts and seeds.
Adam Smith, as much a founding father of economics as Darwin was of biology, observed something similar in his seminal book The Wealth of Nations. Visiting a pin factory, he noticed that different tasks in the process were done by different specialists, which made the factory far more efficient. He realized that this concept of the division of labor was the secret to greater productivity and the driver, therefore, of economic growth.