Question

Application Based Questions .
What do you understand by a species? Outline the ways in which new species arise

Answer 1

The smallest group that a biologist distinguishes is called a species. A species can be described as a population of related organisms, individuals of which are able to mate and produce viable offspring which can interbreed. A more recent definition of a species is a recognisable lineage, a collection of organisms that shares a unique evolutionary history and is held together by the cohesive forces of reproduction, development and ecology. The way in which variation, natural selection and adaptation lead to evolution of a new species may be summarised as follows :