Biological Species

A Biological Species is an organism class that can be used to classify organisms based on reproductive compatibility and evolutionary lineage.

• AKA: Taxonomic Species, Species Taxon, Organism Species.
• Context:
  • It can typically maintain Reproductive Isolation from other species through reproductive barriers.
  • It can typically share Common Ancestry through evolutionary descent.
  • It can typically exhibit Genetic Compatibility enabling fertile offspring production.
  • It can typically display Phenotypic Similarity among population members.
  • It can typically occupy a Species-Specific Ecological Niche within ecosystems.
  • ...
  • It can often undergo Speciation Processes through geographic isolation, ecological adaptation, or polyploidy.
  • It can often form Hybrid Organisms with closely related species under certain conditions.
  • It can often exhibit Intraspecific Variation through population genetics and local adaptation.
  • It can often face State of Species Extinction from environmental change, habitat loss, or genetic bottlenecks.
  • ...
  • It can range from being a Specialist Species to being a Generalist Species, depending on its ecological amplitude.
  • It can range from being a Microspecies to being a Macrospecies, depending on its taxonomic diversity.
  • It can range from being an Allopatric Species to being a Sympatric Species, depending on its geographic distribution pattern.
  • ...
  • It can be classified using Species Concepts including biological species concept, morphological species concept, genetic species concept, and ecological species concept.
  • It can be identified through DNA Barcoding, morphological analysis, behavioral observation, and reproductive testing.
  • It can evolve through Natural Selection, genetic drift, gene flow, and mutation according to Evolutionary Theory.
  • It can be affected by Mass Global Extinction Periods such as Permian-Triassic (P-Tr) Extinction Event (~252 Ma) and Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) Extinction Event (~66 Mya.).
  • ...
• Example(s):
  • Prokaryotic Species, such as:
    • Bacterial Species, such as:
      • Escherichia coli, a model organism for molecular biology research.
      • Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Species, a pathogenic bacterium with antibiotic resistance.
      • Porphyromonas Gingivalis, associated with periodontal disease.
    • Archaeal Species, such as:
      • Methanocaldococcus jannaschii, a thermophilic methanogen from deep-sea hydrothermal vents.
  • Eukaryotic Species, such as:
    • Animal Species, such as:
      • Homo Sapiens (Human) Species (300Kya -), the human species with global distribution.
      • Homo Erectus Species, an extinct hominin species surviving until ~108,000 years ago.
      • Common Chimpanzee, our closest living primate relative.
      • Bonobo (Pan Paniscus) Species, the other chimpanzee species.
      • Neanderthal, an extinct human species that interbred with modern humans.
      • Dog, a domestic subspecies of gray wolf.
      • Domestic Cat, a Felidae Animal companion species.
      • African Elephant, the largest living terrestrial mammal.
      • Chinook Salmon, an anadromous fish species.
      • Red King Crab, a commercially important crustacean species.
    • Plant Species, such as:
      • Brassica Oleracea, including cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower cultivars.
      • Garlic, an Allium species used in cuisine and medicine.
      • Coconut Tree, a Palm Tree of the Arecaceae Plant family.
      • Vanilla Plant, an Orchid Plant producing vanilla flavoring.
    • Fungal Species, such as:
      • Yeast, including baker's yeast and Pathogenic Yeast.
  • Extinct Species, such as:
    • Dinosaurs from the Mesozoic Era.
    • Species lost in Mass Global Extinction Periods.
  • Model Organisms used in scientific research, such as:
    • Strongylocentrotus Purpuratus, a sea urchin in Echinodermata Familiy.
    • Gallus Gallus, the red junglefowl ancestor of domestic chickens.
  • ...
• Counter-Example(s):
  • Organism Kingdom, which encompasses multiple phyla and classes.
  • Subspecies, which represents population variation within a species.
  • Hybrid Organism, which results from interspecific breeding.
  • Species Complex, which contains cryptic species not yet fully resolved.
  • Organism, which is a broader category including all living entities.
• See: Speciation Process, Animal Conservation Task, Evolutionary Theory, Punctuated Equilibrium Theory, Charles Darwin (1809-1882), Biological Reproduction, Heredity, Population Ecology, Phylogenetic Analysis, Model Organism, PPLRE Organism Table, State of Species Extinction.

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References

1859

• (Darwin, 1859) ⇒ Charles Darwin. (1859). "On the Origin of Species." John Murray.

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