Species A species is often defined as a group of organisms that can reproduce naturally with one another and create fertile offspring. However, the classification of a species can be difficult—even riddled with controversy.
Full Answer
What does the name species mean?
British National Corpus
- Spoken Corpus Frequency Rank popularity for the word 'species' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #1003
- Written Corpus Frequency Rank popularity for the word 'species' in Written Corpus Frequency: #3999
- Nouns Frequency Rank popularity for the word 'species' in Nouns Frequency: #471
What is the difference between specie and species?
Species is the fundamental taxonomic rank of organisms, which contains a group of closely-related organisms, interbreeding to produce a fertile offspring. A genus is a closely-related group of several species. The main difference between genus and species is the level of the each taxonomic ranking in the biological classification. Reference: 1.
What is the correct definition of species?
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction.
What does the word species mean?
SPECIES Meaning: "a particular sort, kind, or type" (opposed to genus), originally "a sight, look, view, appearance,"… See definitions of species.
What is a species?
Vocabulary. From the color of your hair to the shape of your toes, you are distinctly human. Humans look very different from one another, yet we are all members of the same species, homo sapiens. A species is often defined as a group of organisms that can reproduce naturally with one another and create fertile offspring.
Why are polar bears and grizzly bears classified as different species?
However, polar bears and grizzly bears are still classified as different species due to their habitat needs. These naturally occurring wild rule breakers make it difficult for scientists to clearly define species. Genetics may provide the answer.
What is a group of organisms that can reproduce naturally with one another and create fertile offspring?
A species is often defined as a group of organisms that can reproduce naturally with one another and create fertile offspring. While that definition seems straightforward, the classification of a species can be difficult and at times riddled with controversy.
Do asexual organisms reproduce with each other?
Asexual organisms have only one parent, so they do not reproduce with each other. Some organisms commonly reproduce with similar species in the wild, forming genetic hybrids. In 2006, the first wild polar bear – grizzly bear hybrid was found in Canada.
What is a species?
species. [ spē ′shēz, spē ′sēz ] A group of organisms having many characteristics in common and ranking below a genus. Organisms that reproduce sexually and belong to the same species interbreed and produce fertile offspring. Species names are usually written lower case and in italics, as rex in Tyrannosaurus rex.
What is a species in the British dictionary?
British Dictionary definitions for species. any of the taxonomic groups into which a genus is divided, the members of which are capable of interbreeding: often containing subspecies, varieties, or races. A species is designated in italics by the genus name followed by the specific name, for example Felis domesticus ...
What does SP mean in a species?
A species is designated in italics by the genus name followed by the specific name, for example Felis domesticus (the domestic cat)Abbreviation: sp. the animals of such a group. any group of related animals or plants not necessarily of this taxonomic rank.
What is the major subdivision of a genus or subgenus?
the major subdivision of a genus or subgenus, regarded as the basic category of biological classification, composed of related individuals that resemble one another, are able to breed among themselves, but are not able to breed with members of another species. Logic.
What is the meaning of logic?
logic a group of objects or individuals, all sharing at least one common attribute, that forms a subdivision of a genus. a kind, sort, or variety a species of treachery. mainly RC Church the outward form of the bread and wine in the Eucharist. obsolete an outward appearance or form. obsolete specie.
What is a species?
The most common definition of a species is: a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. This definition works well, for the most part. Let's look at an example.
What is species in biology?
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification. It most commonly refers to a group of physically similar organisms that can exchange genetic information and produce fertile offspring. Learn more in this lesson.
What is the basic idea of species?
For the lay person, however, the basic idea that a species is a group of organisms that can mate and produce fertile offspring works just fine. A species is the most basic unit of biological classification in systematics.
How do scientists put organisms in groups?
To efficiently put organisms in different groups, scientists developed a system of classifying these organisms. This system takes all the organisms on Earth and puts them in groups based on body form, genetic similarity, body chemistry, development, and behavior. The study of organisms in this way is called systematics.
How do we determine the species of something?
According to this definition, all we need to do to determine the species of something is have it mate. While in many cases this definition is adequate, it can cause issues. Think about it…the idea of animals that are able to interbreed and produce viable offspring isn't too hard to imagine, is it? The same thing with plants. But what about bacteria? Or viruses? Or some insects? These organisms commonly reproduce asexually, without mating, so they don't need to breed. How do we determine what organism belongs where, when they don't bother breeding? This is known as the species problem, and scientists have come up with various species definitions to try and solve this problem.
Why do biologists study different organisms?
Biology is concerned with studying the life around us, and to make that easier , biologists like to group things together. These groups tend to consist of organisms (living things) that look or act alike. This allows us to study different plants, animals, and microbes based on what they have in common with each other.
Why are donkeys and horses different species?
While they can mate and produce offspring, those offspring are not fertile. The mules cannot breed with each other to make any more baby mules. According to the biological species concept, this means the horse and the donkey are in different species groups.
What is a species?
species. 1. Biology A group of closely related organisms that are very similar to each other and are usually capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. The species is the fundamental category of taxonomic classification, ranking below a genus or subgenus.
What does species mean in biology?
1. (Biology) biology. a. any of the taxonomic groups into which a genus is divided, the members of which are capable of interbreeding: often containing subspecies, varieties, or races.
What does "distinct sort" mean?
1. a class of individuals having some common characteristics or qualities; distinct sort or kind.
What is a class of individuals or objects grouped by virtue of their common attributes and assigned a common name?
2. LogicA class of individuals or objects grouped by virtue of their common attributes and assigned a common name; a division subordinate to a genus.
What is an endangered species?
endangered species- a species whose numbers are so small that the species is at risk of extinction
What does "breed" mean in a word?
breed, strain, stock- a special variety of domesticated animals within a species ; "he experimented on a particular breed of white rats"; "he created a new strain of sheep"
What is a variety in biology?
variety- (biology) a taxonomic category consisting of members of a species that differ from others of the same species in minor but heritable characteristics; "varieties are frequently recognized in botany"
What Does Species Mean?
Species is a term used to describe a small group of plants or animals, which consists of similar individuals and can share genes or mate together and produce viable offspring. The species is the principal natural unit used in biology to differentiate between types of living organisms. It is ranked below genus.
Safeopedia Explains Species
There can be variation within a species and adaptations based on environmental factors that can be observed, but organisms within a species always have common traits, a common name and can interbreed to produce viable offspring.
What is a species?
Most basic scientists agree that the common definition of the word "species" is a group of similar individuals that live together in an area and can interbreed to produce fertile offspring. However, this definition is not truly complete. It cannot be applied to a species that undergoes asexual reproduction since "interbreeding" does not happen in ...
What is the most universally accepted species concept?
Biological Species. The most universally accepted species concept is the idea of the biological species. This is the species concept from which the generally accepted definition of the term "species" comes. First proposed by Ernst Mayr, the biological species concept explicitly says,
What happens if a population is not divided?
If a population is not divided, either physically through some sort of barrier, or reproductively through behavior or other types of prezygotic or postzygotic isolation mechanisms, then the species will stay as one species and will not diverge and become its own distinct species.
What is lineage species?
Lineage Species. A lineage is similar to what would be thought of as a branch on a family tree. The phylogentic trees of groups of related species branch off in all directions where new lineages are created from speciation of a common ancestor.
How can scientists determine when a species diverged and evolved?
By examining the similarities and differences of different lineages that are related, scientists can determine most likely when the species diverged and evolved compared to when the common ancestor was around. This idea of lineage species can also be used to fit asexually reproducing species. Since biological species concept is dependent ...
What does Linnaeus not know about morphological species?
Linnaeus did not know about chromosomes and other microevolutionary differences that actually make some individuals that look similar a part of different species.
What is morphology in biology?
Morphology is how an individual looks. It is their physical features and anatomical parts. When Carolus Linnaeus first came up with his binomial nomenclature taxonomy, all individuals were grouped by morphology. Therefore, the first concept of the term "species" was based on the morphology.
Overview
The species problem
It is difficult to define a species in a way that applies to all organisms. The debate about species concepts is called the species problem. The problem was recognised even in 1859, when Darwin wrote in On the Origin of Species:
No one definition has satisfied all naturalists; yet every naturalist knows vaguely what he means when he speaks of a species. Generally the term includes the …
Definition
Biologists and taxonomists have made many attempts to define species, beginning from morphology and moving towards genetics. Early taxonomists such as Linnaeus had no option but to describe what they saw: this was later formalised as the typological or morphological species concept. Ernst Mayr emphasised reproductive isolation, but this, like other species concepts, is har…
Taxonomy and naming
The commonly used names for kinds of organisms are often ambiguous: "cat" could mean the domestic cat, Felis catus, or the cat family, Felidae. Another problem with common names is that they often vary from place to place, so that puma, cougar, catamount, panther, painter and mountain lion all mean Puma concolor in various parts of America, while "panther" may also mean the jaguar (…
Mayr's biological species concept
Most modern textbooks make use of Ernst Mayr's 1942 definition, known as the Biological Species Concept as a basis for further discussion on the definition of species. It is also called a reproductive or isolation concept. This defines a species as
groups of actually or potentially interbreeding natural populations, which are re…
Change
Species are subject to change, whether by evolving into new species, exchanging genes with other species, merging with other species or by becoming extinct.
The evolutionary process by which biological populations evolve to become distinct or reproductively isolated as species is called speciation. Charles Darwin was …
Practical implications
Biologists and conservationists need to categorise and identify organisms in the course of their work. Difficulty assigning organisms reliably to a species constitutes a threat to the validity of research results, for example making measurements of how abundant a species is in an ecosystem moot. Surveys using a phylogenetic species concept reported 48% more species and accordingly smaller populations and ranges than those using nonphylogenetic concepts; this wa…
History
In his biology, Aristotle used the term γένος (génos) to mean a kind, such as a bird or fish, and εἶδος (eidos) to mean a specific form within a kind, such as (within the birds) the crane, eagle, crow, or sparrow. These terms were translated into Latin as "genus" and "species", though they do not correspond to the Linnean terms thus named; today the birds are a class, the cranes are a family, and the c…