Question

Try to collect all the currently accepted meanings for the word ‘species’. Discuss with your teacher the meaning of species in the case of higher plants and animals on one hand and bacteria on the other:

Answer 1

1. Species hold a significant position in classification. In terms of taxonomy, it is the lowest. In order for them to be able to freely interbreed and generate fruitful children, it is a natural population of individuals or groups of populations that resemble one another in all important morphological and reproductive traits.
2. A genetically unique and reproductively separated natural population is another term for each species. "A group of actually or potentially interbreeding populations that are reproductively isolated from other such groups" is the definition of a species, according to Mayr (1964).
3. The word "species" in higher plants and animals designates a collection of individuals with the capacity to freely interbreed and generate progeny.
4. Interbreeding, however, is not the ideal criterion for dividing species when it comes to bacteria, as they often reproduce asexually. The processes that bacteria refer to as sexual reproduction conjugation, transformation, and transduction also do not match up with actual interbreeding.
5. Therefore, a wide range of other traits are taken into account when classifying bacteria, including molecular homology and biochemical, physiological, ecological, and morphological traits.