Question

What characteristic of the species level of organization distinguishes two similar organisms such as ducks and geese as different species?

Answer 1

Species are characterized by interbreeding between members of the group and by the absence of breeding with other groups.

Answer 2

The correct answer would be "inability to interbreed".

The species refers to the group of organisms capable of interbreeding with each other to produce a viable offspring.

The two organisms may look similar but if they are not able to produce a viable offspring, then they are considered to belong to two different species.

For example, wild cats such as lion, tiger, cheetah, jaguar may look similar but they belong to different species as they are not able to interbreed with each other.

Similarly, geese and ducks may look similar but they belong to different species as they are not able to interbreed in nature.