Which of the following is a species?

a. a monophyletic group of beetles who share a common ancestor and can be distinguished from the most closely related group of beetles

b. a group of birds who are interbreeding with each other but are reproductively isolated from other groups

c. a metapopulation of salamanders who are linked by gene flow

d. a lineage of microbes adapted to a particular ecological niche

e. all of the above are considered species under at least one species concept

e. All of the above are considered species under at least one species concept.

Explanation:

All of the abovementioned conditions satisfy at least one condition of species definition. Further arguments are given below to support each statement,

a. A species is the monophyletic group of individuals who has a common ancestor which could be distinguished from the closest phylogenetic relative  based on conserved genes (16S in bacteria and 18S in eukaryotes). In the statement above, beetles satisfy this condition.

b. A species is the group of individuals that are capable of exchanging genes or can interbreed. In the above statement, birds who are interbreeding with each other must be a single species.

c. A metapopulation is generically defined as the group of populations who are separated by space but are the same species according to phylogenetic analysis. Thus, the metapopulation of salamanders who are linked by gene flow (gene migration) should be treated as one species.

d. The word "lineage" already conveys the message that these bacteria belong share sample place in the phylogenetic tree and they are capable to adapt the same environmental niche. Therefore, they should be considered as one species. This can be easily tested via 16S rRNA sequencing.

the african cheetah.

this species has a relatively low level of genetic

variation because the population was reduced to a small size approxi-

mately 10,000 to 12,000 years ago.

chapter   outline

24.1

genes in populations and the hardy-

weinberg equation

24.2

factors that change allele and genotype

frequencies in populations

24.3     sources of new genetic variation

population   genetics

24

until   now,   we   have   primarily   focused   our   attention   on   genes  

within   individuals   and   their   related   family   members.   in   this  

chapter   and   chapters   25   and   26   ,   we   turn   to   the   study   of   genes   in  

a   population   or   species.   the   field   of

population   genetics

  is   con-

cerned   with   changes   in   genetic   variation   within   a   group   of   indi-

viduals   over   time.   population   geneticists   want   to   know   the   extent  

of   genetic   variation   within   populations,   why   it   exists,   and   how   it  

changes   over   the   course   of   many   generations.   the   field   of   popu-

lation   genetics   emerged   as   a   branch   of   genetics   in   the   1920s   and  

1930s.   its   mathematical   foundations   were   developed   by   theoreti-

cians   who   extended   the   principles   of   gregor   mendel   and   charles  

darwin   by   deriving   formulas   to   explain   the   occurrence   of   geno-

types   within   populations.   these   foundations   can   be   largely   attrib-

uted to three scientists: sir ronald fisher, sewall wright, and j. b. s.

haldane.   as   we   will   see,   support   for   their   mathematical   theories  

was provided by several researchers who analyzed the genetic com-

position   of   natural   and   experimental   populations.   more   recently,  

population   geneticists   have   used   techniques   to   probe   genetic  

variation   at   the   molecular   level.   in   addition,   staggering   advances  

in   computer   technology   have   aided   population   geneticists   in   the  

analysis   of   their   genetic   theories   and   data.   in   this   chapter,   we   will  

explore   the   genetic   variation   that   occurs   in   populations   and   con-

sider   the   reasons   why   the   genetic   composition   of   populations   may  

change over the course of several generations