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Other Species Models

Edexcel AS-level BiologyClassificationLesson 9 of 19

Because the morphological and biological concepts cannot be applied to every organism, biologists also use other species models.

The phylogenetic species concept defines a species as the smallest group of organisms that share a common ancestor and can be distinguished from other groups by unique inherited characteristics. It focuses on evolutionary history (phylogeny). In practice, it is usually applied by comparing DNA base sequences or protein sequences and building a family tree. A species is a group that forms its own separate branch (lineage) on the tree.

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