Biological Species
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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.
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- 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.
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- 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.
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- 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.).
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- Example(s):
- Prokaryotic Species, such as:
- Bacterial Species, such as:
- Archaeal Species, such as:
- 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.
- Animal Species, such as:
- 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.
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- Prokaryotic Species, such as:
- 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.
References
1859
- (Darwin, 1859) ⇒ Charles Darwin. (1859). "On the Origin of Species." John Murray.