BRAINCAKESpecies
The species is the smallest taxonomic group and the basic unit of classification. Members of a species share many similar features, including similar DNA, and they are more closely related to each other than to members of any other species.
The most widely used definition is that a species is a group of organisms that can interbreed to produce fertile offspring. For example, a horse and a donkey can mate, but their offspring, the mule, is infertile (sterile). Horses and donkeys are therefore separate species.
All the members of one species living in the same area at the same time form a population. A species may be made up of many populations in different places.
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More in Classification
- Classification
- Taxonomy
- Taxonomic Groups
- Binomial System
- Morphological Concept of Species
- Biological Concept of Species
- Other Species Models
- Limitations of Species Models
All 19 lessons in Classification · All Edexcel AS-level Biology topics