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A species is a set of animals or plants that can breed with each other and have similar characteristics. Learn more about the meaning, usage and examples of species in biology and English.
- Species
SPECIES translate: （动植物的）种，物种. Learn more in the Cambridge...
- Polski
SPECIES definicja: 1. a set of animals or plants in which...
- Subspecies
SUBSPECIES definition: 1. a particular type within a...
- Species
Learn the various meanings and uses of the word species, from a logical division of a genus to a category of biological classification. See synonyms, examples, etymology, and related articles.
A species ( pl.: 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. [1] . It is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity.
A group of closely related and interbreeding living things; the smallest standard unit of biological classification. Species can be divided into varieties, races, breeds, or subspecies. Red pines, sugar maples, cats, dogs, chimpanzees, and people are species; Siamese cats and beagles are varieties, not species. ( See Linnean classification.)
- Overview
- Taxonomy
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species, in biology, classification comprising related organisms that share common characteristics and are capable of interbreeding. This biological species concept is widely used in biology and related fields of study. There are more than 20 other different species concepts, however. Some examples include the ecological species concept, which desc...
The designation of species originates in taxonomy, where the species is the fundamental unit of classification recognized by the International Commission of Zoological Nomenclature. Every species is assigned a standard two-part name of genus and species. The genus is the generic name that includes closely related species; the gray wolf, for example, is classified as Canis lupus and is a close relative of the coyote found in North America and designated as Canis latrans, their systematic relation indicated by their sharing the same genus name, Canis. Similarly, genera that have shared characters (or traits) are classified in the same taxonomic family; related families are placed in the same order; related orders are placed in the same class; and related classes are placed in the same phylum. This classification system is a hierarchy applied to all animals and plants, as originally set forth by the Swedish naturalist Carolus Linnaeus in the 18th century.
Organisms are grouped into species partly according to their morphological, or external, similarities, but more important in classifying sexually reproducing organisms is the organisms’ ability to successfully interbreed. Individuals of a single species can mate and produce viable offspring with one another but almost never with members of other species. Separate species have been known to produce hybrid offspring (for example, the horse and the donkey producing the mule), but, because the offspring are almost always inviable or sterile, the interbreeding is not considered successful.
Interbreeding only within the species is of great importance for evolution in that individuals of one species share a common gene pool that members of other species do not. Within a single pool there is always a certain amount of variation among individuals, and those whose genetic variations leave them at a disadvantage in a particular environment tend to be eliminated in favour of those with advantageous variations. This process of natural selection results in the gene pool’s evolving in such a way that the advantageous variations become the norm. Because genetic variations originate in individuals of a species and because those individuals pass on their variations only within the species, then it is at the species level that evolution takes place. The evolution of one species into others is called speciation.
Britannica Quiz
A species is a group of organisms that share common characteristics and can interbreed. Learn about different species concepts, taxonomy, and evolution from Britannica.
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28. Nov. 2016 · A species is a group of organisms that share a genetic heritage, are able to interbreed, and to create offspring that are also fertile. Learn how scientists classify and reclassify animals into different species, and how natural selection and hybridization affect species diversity.
