Understanding:
• Species are groups of organisms that can potentially interbreed to produce fertile offspring
• Members of a species may be reproductively isolated in separate populations
A species is a group of organisms that can potentially interbreed to produce fertile, viable offspring
- Members of a single species are unable to produce fertile, viable offspring with members from a different species
- When two different species do produce offspring by cross-breeding, these hybrids are reproductively sterile (e.g. liger, mule)
A population is a group of organisms of the same species that are living in the same area at the same time
- Organisms that live in different regions (i.e. different populations) are reproductively isolated and unlikely to interbreed, however are classified as the same species if interbreeding is functionally possible
Species Comparisons
