What is a Species?
What is a Species?
During Linnaeus' time, species were groups of organisms that could be distinguished from each other.
This idea is not widely accepted today because members of the same species can look very different.
Example: sexual dimorphism - males and females of the same species have different physical features.
Because of this, scientists developed different species concepts to define what a species is from different perspectives.
Species Concepts
Species Concepts
One. Typological Species Concept
Species equals a group of organisms that share a common, idealized physical form. Also called the Morphological Species Concept.
Species are identified mainly through their morphological features (physical characteristics).