Question

The biological species concept, formalized by Ernst Mayr in 1942, defined a species as a ________.

1) group of individuals that inhabit the same location

2)group of individuals with similar morphological characteristics

3)population within and among which individuals actually or potentially interbreed and outside of which they do not interbreed

4) group of individuals who share similar allelic frequencies

5) population of individuals within and among which reproduction takes place frequently

Answer 1

The biological species concept defines a species as a group of actually or potentially interbreeding organisms that produce fertile offspring. This criterion helps differentiate one species from another, although in practice, morphological traits are often used for species classification.

Step-by-step explanation:

The biological species concept, formalized by Ernst Mayr in 1942, defined a species as a group of actually or potentially interbreeding organisms. This concept emphasizes the ability of individuals to reproduce and produce fertile offspring as the key criterion for species identification. According to this definition, a species is separated from another when matings between individuals from different species do not produce fertile offspring.

In practice, however, determining the interbreeding capabilities of organisms can be challenging, especially with extinct or asexually reproducing species, leading scientists to often use morphological characteristics for classification. Nevertheless, the biological species concept is particularly useful for sexually reproducing organisms, where the potential to interbreed is a strong indicator that they belong to the same species.