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Species

Definition

A species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. It can be defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. Other ways of defining species include their karyotype, DNA sequence, morphology, behaviour, or ecological niche. In addition, palaeontologists use the concept of the chronospecies since fossil reproduction cannot be examined. The most recent rigorous estimate for the total number of species of eukaryotes is between 8 and 8.7 million. About 14% of these had been described by 2011. All species are given a two-part name, a "binomen". The first part of a binomen is the name of a genus to which the species belongs. The second part is called the specific name or the specific epithet. For example, Boa constrictor is one of the species of the genus Boa, with constrictor being the specific name.

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Crandall Kevin de Queiroz Kin recognition Kin selection Kingdom (biology)Klepton Kluwer Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes Laboratory experiments of speciation Lamarckism Language acquisition Larus Larus argentatus Larus fuscus Last universal common ancestor Lead–crime hypothesis Legion (taxonomy)Leopard Lesser black-backed gull Life Linnean taxonomy List of evolutionary psychologists Lumpers and splitters MIT Press Macroevolution Male intrasexual competition Mark Ridley (zoologist)Mate choice Mate guarding in humans Maternal bond Maternal deprivation Mating preferences Mating type Media naturalness theory Memetics Mendelian inheritance Mental disorders and gender Metabolism Michael Ghiselin Michael Ruse Microbiology Microbiology Today Microevolution Microspecies Mind-blindness Missing heritability problem Mitochondrial DNA Mitochondrion Mobile phones and driving safety Models of DNA evolution Modern synthesis (20th century)Modularity (biology)Modularity of mind Molecular evolution Monogamy in animals Moral foundations theory Morphology (biology)Mosaic evolution Most recent common ancestor Motor control Motor skill Multi-celled organism Multicellular organism Multilineal evolution Mutagenic Mutation Mutationism Mutation–selection balance Mutualism (biology)National Center for Biotechnology Information Natural selection Nature Reviews Genetics Nature versus nurture Naïve physics Neo-Darwinism Neoevolutionism Neuroergonomics Neuronal recycling hypothesis Neuropsychology Neuroscience of sex differences Neuroscience of sleep Neutral theory of molecular evolution Nomenclature codes Nonadaptive radiation Nonecological speciation Northern spotted owl Number sense Number sense in animals Numerical cognition Offspring Oklahoma State University Old World sparrow On the Origin of Species Open nomenclature Ophidiophobia Orator F. 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Bowler Peter Sneath Phenetics Phenotype Phenotypic plasticity Philip Kitcher Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Philosophy of Science (journal)Philosophy of mind Phyletic gradualism PhyloCode Phylogenetic tree Phylogenetics Phylum Physical attractiveness Plastid Pleiotropy Plica plica Point mutation Pollinator-mediated selection Polymorphism (biology)Polyploid Polyploidy Population (biology)Population (human biology)Population genetics Primate cognition Primatology Principle of Priority Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America Proceedings of the Royal Society Programmed cell death Prokaryote Property (philosophy)Protocell Pseudoextinction Pseudomonas avellanae Pseudospeciation Psychological adaptation Psychological effects of Internet use Psychological nativism Puma concolor Punctuated equilibrium Quasispecies model Quentin D. Wheeler Race (biology)Ralph A. Lewin Rank theory of depression Rapid modes of evolution Realm (virology)Reassortment Recent human evolution Reciprocal altruism Reciprocal altruism in humans Recombination (biology)Recombinational speciation Red Queen hypothesis Red list Reinforcement (speciation)Renaissance Reproductive isolation Ring species Robert R. 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