Ernst Mayr & Biological Species Definition — NEET Biology
📚 Practice ConceptBorn on 5 July 1904, in Kempten, Germany, ERNST MAYR, the Harvard University evolutionary biologist who has been called 'The Darwin of the 20th century', was one of the 100 greatest scientists of all time. Mayr joined Harvard's Faculty of Arts and Sciences in 1953 and retired in 1975, assuming the title Alexander Agassiz Professor of Zoology Emeritus. Throughout his nearly 80-year career, his research spanned ornithology, taxonomy, zoogeography, evolution, systematics, and the history and philosophy of biology. He almost single-handedly made the origin of species diversity the central question of evolutionary biology that it is today. He also pioneered the currently accepted definition of a biological species. Mayr was awarded the three prizes widely regarded as the triple crown of biology: the Balzan Prize in 1983, the International Prize for Biology in 1994, and the Crafoord Prize in 1999. Mayr died at the age of 100 in the year 2004.
Which of the above statements are correct? S1. Ernst Mayr is credited with pioneering the currently accepted biological definition of a species. S2. A species is defined as a group of individual organisms sharing fundamental morphological similarities, regardless of their reproductive isolation. S3. Higher the taxonomic category, easier it is to determine the relationship to other taxa at the same level. S4. Species is considered the lowest obligate category in the taxonomic hierarchy. S5. In binomial nomenclature, the specific epithet always starts with a capital letter.
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Correct answer: B — S1 and S4 only
This question tests the understanding of the definition and characteristics of a species and general taxonomic principles from NCERT. S1. Correct. NCERT states, "Mayr also pioneered the currently accepted definition of a biological species." (Page 3, 'The Living World'). S2. Incorrect. While species share fundamental similarities (Page 6, 1.2.1), the 'currently accepted definition of a biological species' (pioneered by Ernst Mayr) emphasizes reproductive isolation and the ability to interbreed to produce fertile offspring. Therefore, stating 'regardless of their reproductive isolation' makes the definition incomplete and misleading in a biological context. S3. Incorrect. NCERT states, "Higher the category, greater is the difficulty of determining the relationship to other taxa at the same level." (Page 8, Figure 1.1 description). S4. Correct. NCERT states, "All organisms, including those in the plant and animal kingdoms have species as the lowest category." (Page 6, Section 1.2). This implies it is the basic or obligate lowest unit. S5. Incorrect. NCERT specifies, "The first word denoting the genus starts with a capital letter while the specific epithet starts with a small letter." (Page 5, Rule 4). Therefore, statements S1 and S4 are correct.
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