(a) Which species concept(s) could you apply to both asexual and sexual species? (b) Which would be most useful for identifying species in the field? Explain.

Short Answer

Expert verified
  1. Other than the biological species concept, all species concepts (evolutionary, typological, and nominalistic) can be applied to sexual and asexual species.
  2. The species identification in the field carries with the help of the morphological species concept.

Step by step solution

01

Reproduction

The biological act of producing new living organisms which are biologically identical to their parents is called reproduction.

The two ways through which offspring reproduce from their parents areasexual reproduction (vegetative propagation, fission, and spore formation) and sexual reproduction (reproduction in humans and plants).

Several benefits of reproduction mode are high genetic variability, speed-up evolution, and higher individual fitness.

02

Explanation for part (a)

The biological concept that defines different individual groups within a population bearing similar traits and breeding with another reproductively isolated species is calledthe species concept.

The typological, biological, evolutionary, and nominalistic species concepts are classified as four distinct species concepts.

Only sexual species bears the biological species concept that determines the successful interbreeding between species to produce healthy offspring. In contrast, other species’ concept defines species characteristics, not their reproduction ability.

03

Explanation for part (b)

The morphological species concept considers the organisms' appearance and phenotypic traits to classify them.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

Which of the following factors would not contribute to allopatric speciation?

(A) The separated population is small, and genetic drift occurs.

(B) The isolated population is exposed to different selection pressures than the ancestral population.

(C) Different mutations begin to distinguish the gene pools of the separated populations.

(D) Gene flow between the two populations is extensive.

Describe two mechanisms that can decrease gene flow in sympatric populations, thereby making sympatric speciation more likely to occur.

Bird guides once listed the myrtle warbler and Audubon's warbler as distinct species. Recently, these birds have been classified as eastern and western forms of a single species, the yellow-rumped warbler. Which of the following pieces of evidence, if true, would be cause for this reclassification?

(A) The two forms interbreed often in nature, and their offspring survive and reproduce well.

(B) The two forms live in similar habitats and have similar food requirements.

(C) The two forms have many genes in common.

(D) The two forms are very similar in appearance.

Consider two species that diverged while geographically separated but resumed contact before reproductive isolation was complete. Predict the outcome over time if the two species mated indiscriminately.

(a) hybrid offspring survived and reproduced more poorly than offspring from intraspecific matings or

(b) hybrid offspring survived and reproduced as well as offspring from intraspecific matings.

Suppose two bird species live in a forest and are not known to interbreed. One species feeds and mates in the treetops and the other on the ground. But in captivity, the birds can interbreed and produce viable, fertile offspring. What type of reproductive barrier most likely keeps these species separate in nature? Explain.

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