Concept of Species: Primary Species Concepts

The word species comes from the Latin word species, which means “kind” or “appearance.” A species is a collection of organisms capable of reproducing and producing viable progeny. Members of a species might also have a striking resemblance in appearance. Members of a species are nearly similar in anatomy, physiology and behavior, except for minor differences. As a result, the species is the smallest natural collection of organisms. Animals, on the other hand, may have a very distinct appearance if humans have been engaged in their breeding programs.

A group of organisms that share a similar genetic heritage is referred to as a species in biology. Furthermore, they have the ability to interbreed and generate viable offspring as a result. On the other hand, species are isolated from one another by various barriers. These impediments might be genetic or geographical in nature. In biology and biodiversity, a species is the most basic categorization unit. It is utilized to distinguish between different kinds of living organisms. The karyotype, anatomy, ecological niche, and Nucleotide sequences may all be used to identify and distinguish the species.

The six primary species concepts are as follows:

1. Biological species concept: The biological concept of species was given by K. Jordan in 1905. Mayr, a zoologist, later expressed the belief in this concept in 1940. “A species is a group of interbreeding natural populations that are reproductively isolated from other similar groups,” according to this concept. Members of a species, according to Mayr, have the following characteristics:
   • Reproductive community: Individuals in a species’ reproductive group identify one another as possible mates in order to reproduce
   • Ecological Unit: Members of a species differ in various ways, but they all work together to form an ecological unit. In every setting, they interact with certain other animals as a group
   • Genetical unit: Species consists of a large, inter-communicating gene pool, whereas the individual is simply a quasi-container having a small portion of the components of the gene pool for a shorter period. This theory does not apply to asexual organisms. Apomictic or asexual organisms reproduce uniparental using apomixes, parthenogenesis, budding and other methods. Furthermore, this concept does not apply to species that are geographically separated
2. Morphological species concept: It is also known as the phenetic species concept or typological species concept. According to this concept, a group of organisms has a similar appearance but are unique from other units. The morphological species concept is commonly used to classify the species fossils that lack reproductive isolation or connectedness with other trilobites. Because the fossils are so ancient that their DNA has deteriorated beyond our ability to analyze them, it is hard to know the species
3. Nominalistic Species Concept: It explores the notion of individuals. This theory’s proponents thought that in creation alone, individuals exist, not species. They believe that the idea of species is artificial and that it does not occur in nature. Furthermore, they considered it to be a psychological idea. This idea was famous in the 18th century and has some adherents in botany today. It is thought that the species was created to relate to large groups of individuals at the same time. This notion was popular in France throughout the 18th century, and some botanists still use it now
4. Evolutionary Species Concept: Wiley defined evolutionary species as “a single lineage of ancestor-descendant populations of organisms that preserves its identity in space and time and has its evolutionary tendencies and historical fate” in 1981. Furthermore, this procedure was created to incorporate species that are not recognized as biological species
5. Ecological Species Concept: An ecosystem’s ecological competition is studied using this concept. In other words, two comparable species have similar needs, and their needs tend to crossover. They are competing for a limited resource in this circumstance

Phylogenetic Species Concept: This concept divides species into groups based on their common ancestry. It asserts that every member of a species bears some similarity to its ancestors. However, there is a weakness in this concept. It is not easy to recreate an evolutionary process, and even when it is possible, it is not always sufficient.