biological species concept
Definition of a species as a group of populations whose members have the potential to interbreed in nature and produce viable, fertile offspring, but do not produce viable, fertile offspring with members of other such groups.
The biological species concept is a definition used in biology to determine what constitutes a species. According to this concept, a species can be defined as a group of organisms that can interbreed and produce viable offspring that are also fertile. This means that members of the same species are able to successfully mate and produce offspring that can also reproduce and produce offspring of their own.
However, organisms that cannot interbreed or produce viable offspring are considered to be different species. For example, while a horse and a donkey can mate and produce offspring, the resulting mule is infertile, and so horses and donkeys are considered to be different species.
The biological species concept is a useful tool for scientists studying biodiversity, as it helps to distinguish between different species and to understand the processes by which new species are formed. However, it does have limitations, as there are some organisms that do not reproduce sexually or that can interbreed despite being considered different species based on other factors, such as morphology or genetics. As a result, scientists also use other concepts to help define and classify species, such as the morphological species concept and the phylogenetic species concept.
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