Chapters
In this article, we will discuss the meaning of the term species, limited to the biological species concept, morphological species concept, and ecological species concept.
In biology, species refers to a classification that is composed of related organisms that share common features and can interbreed with one another. This biological concept of species is quite popular and is employed in biology as well as other related fields of study. Besides this concept, there are more than 20 other various concepts of species. Examples of those concepts include the ecological species concept which says that species is a group of organisms framed by resources, they are reliant on. Another concept is the genetic species concept which states that all organisms can inherit characteristics from one another within a common gene pool and the amount of genetic difference between the population of that species. Just like the concept of biological species, the genetic species concept takes into account the individuals who can interbreed, besides the amount of genetic difference between the population of that species. However, this species concept can also be used to determine when the species originated. The members of the same species possess the same gene, however, they have different combinations of alleles of these genes.
Species Definitions
For hundreds of years, scientists are classifying organisms into species to inspect the diversity of life that exists today and in the past. Scientists still find it hard to determine whether new organisms discovered should belong to an existing species or a new one. The reason for this is because the most popular definition of species is:
The group of organisms who share the same morphological and physiological characteristics that enable them to breed together and produce fertile offspring
This concept is referred to as the biological species concept and it depends on the fact that whether interbreeding produces fertile offspring or not. Practically, this method is quite difficult and consumes a lot of time. However, other discriminating factors are present that allow scientists to group similar organisms.
In the next sections of the article, we will discuss the morphological and ecological species concept.
Morphological Species Concept
In the past, the majority of scientists described organisms by their physical characteristics, i.e. morphology because they can be easily observed. They used to group organisms based on several physical characteristics that differentiate them from other species. This is referred to as the morphological species concept.
Ecological Species Concept
When the population of similar organisms lives in the same area at the same time, then we can refer to them as ecological species. This concept is referred to as the ecological species concept.
In the next section of the article, we will discuss the species that are named.
Naming Species
While naming species, often common names are used. However, to avoid the group of organisms that scientists are talking about, a two-part scientific name using the binomial system is given to all species. In the 18th century, the Swedish scientist Carl Linnaeus developed and established this naming convention.
The first part of the name comprises the genus that the species belongs to. A genus is defined as:
A group of very similar organisms is known as the genus
The second part of the name is unique and exclusive to only a group of organisms that are recognized as species. Sometimes, a third name is also included. While writing the name of the species, the binomial name is always italicized. When it is impossible to italicize the name, it is underlined.
Consider the following names:
- Saccharomyces cerevisiae is the most popular yeast
- For our ease, we are allowed to abbreviate the genus name. For instance, Saccharomyces cerevisiae can be written as cerevisiae
- Saccharomyces paradoxes is a different species that belong to the same genus as cerevisiae
In the next section of the article, we will discuss how species are classified.
Classification of Species
The process of sorting living things into groups is referred to as classification. Classifications are upgraded constantly because new procedures are discovered that infer relationships. These new methods include DNA and amino acid sequencing or immunological comparisons. The binomial naming convention is employed to name species that do so by their genus and species name.
Taxonomy refers to the practice of biological classification. Biological classification allows us to arrange species into groups based on their evolutionary origins and relationships. There is no overlap between the groups and each group is referred to as a taxon in this hierarchical system. When organisms are grouped into taxa, they can be understood easily. We can also remember them easily in this way. There are many different ranks or levels inside the hierarchical classification system in biology. More than one smaller taxa can be put into a single larger taxon.
Now, let us proceed to discuss the hierarchical classification.
Hierarchical Classification
In biology, the hierarchical classification system of organisms is employed to organism and group similar organisms together. This is done so that we can comprehend them more easily.
Many taxonomic ranks exist. A taxonomic hierarchy is composed of all taxonomic ranks or taxa.
The lowest taxonomic rank in the system is species. We can group similar species in a genus (plural genera). Similar genera are grouped in a family and similar families are grouped in order. Similar orders are grouped into a class, while similar classes are grouped into a phylum (plural: phyla). Similar phyla are grouped into a kingdom and similar kingdoms are grouped into a domain.
The highest taxonomic rank in the system is domains. The order of classification is:
Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family Genus Species
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