Question

A scientist thinks two groups of organisms may be different species and tests her idea by attempting to interbreed individuals from the two groups. She finds that individuals from the different groups are able to mate but offspring are sterile at adulthood. Which of the following is the correct conclusion?

a) The groups are different species
b) The groups are the same species
c) The experiment failed
d) The groups are unrelated

Answer 1

The two groups of organisms that can mate but produce sterile offspring are different species because species are defined by their ability to produce fertile offspring.

Step-by-step explanation:

Defining Species and Reproduction

When scientists want to determine if two groups of organisms are different species, they observe whether individuals from the two groups can interbreed and produce fertile offspring.

A species is typically defined as a group of individual organisms that interbreed and produce viable, fertile offspring. Since the two groups in the question are able to mate but only produce sterile offspring at adulthood, the correct conclusion is that the groups are different species. This is because the ability to produce fertile offspring is a key characteristic that defines a species according to the biological species concept.