Question

(a) Which species concept(s) could you apply to both asexual and sexual species? (b) Which would be most useful for identifying species in the field? Explain.

Short answer

1. Other than the biological species concept, all species concepts (evolutionary, typological, and nominalistic) can be applied to sexual and asexual species.
2. The species identification in the field carries with the help of the morphological species concept.

Step-by-step solution

Reproduction

The biological act of producing new living organisms which are biologically identical to their parents is called reproduction.

The two ways through which offspring reproduce from their parents areasexual reproduction (vegetative propagation, fission, and spore formation) and sexual reproduction (reproduction in humans and plants).

Several benefits of reproduction mode are high genetic variability, speed-up evolution, and higher individual fitness.

Explanation for part (a)

The biological concept that defines different individual groups within a population bearing similar traits and breeding with another reproductively isolated species is calledthe species concept.

The typological, biological, evolutionary, and nominalistic species concepts are classified as four distinct species concepts.

Only sexual species bears the biological species concept that determines the successful interbreeding between species to produce healthy offspring. In contrast, other species’ concept defines species characteristics, not their reproduction ability.

Explanation for part (b)

The morphological species concept considers the organisms' appearance and phenotypic traits to classify them.