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Dictionary definition: biological species concept
- Article from:
- A Dictionary of Biology
Copyright© A Dictionary of Biology 2004, originally published by Oxford University Press 2004. (Hide copyright information)
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biological species concept (
BSC
)
The concept of a species as a group of populations whose members are capable of interbreeding successfully and are reproductively isolated from other groups. This concept became influential during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, largely replacing the
typological species concept
favoured by pioneer naturalists. Central to the concept is the role of sexual reproduction. This maintains the broad uniformity of species' ...