The domestic dog (Canis familiaris) and the gray wolf (Canis lupus) are very closely related. In fact, many scientists question whether they are distinct species, or members of the same species. Based on the biological species concept, what experiment would you conduct to determine whether the Chihuahua and the gray wolf are the same species?

Question

Biology

Akira

4 June, 22:02

The domestic dog (Canis familiaris) and the gray wolf (Canis lupus) are very closely related. In fact, many scientists question whether they are distinct species, or members of the same species. Based on the biological species concept, what experiment would you conduct to determine whether the Chihuahua and the gray wolf are the same species?

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Answers (1)

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Chloe Kline · Answer 1

This is possible by mating the domestic dog with the gray wolf. Explanation is given below.

Explanation:

A Species can be defined as a group of individuals which are capable of producing fertile offspring by undergoing sexual interaction with each other, that is, they are capable of inter-breeding. In order determine whether domestic dog and gray wolf belong to the same species, male and female individual from each of the group are interbred with each other. If the mating gives rise to fertile offspring, then domestic dog and gray wolf would belong to the same species. If no fertile offspring is generated by the mating then the domestic dog and the gray wolf belong to two different species. This is because Reproductive Isolation prevents inter-species breeding.