Question

Differentiate between species and taxon.

July 18, 2024

Answer

Species and taxon differ in the following ways:

(i) Species represents the basic taxonomic category while the taxon represents any level of taxonomic category.

(ii) Species is always monophyletic while a taxon may be monophyletic or polyphyletic.

(iii) Species, being a rank, is an abstract term while a taxon represents a group of various living being.

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