Scientific topics are usually contentious issues that have spurred debates for several decades. One of the main topics that have triggered the discussion is the issue of taxonomy. Scientists developed a way of naming animals and plants through classification into groups based on the different characters that they portray. Although many people agree that certain groups of animals and plants belong to a given species, the way they are grouped into that class raises issues. For instance, wolves, domestic dogs, and dingoes belong to the same species, candid. Interestingly, even these domestic dogs that are seen as belonging to the same species cannot interbreed as in the case of interbreeding Chihuahua and a Great Dane (Van Eeden, 2019). Naturally, this spurs confusion and debate around the issue of species. Still, people can draw the line of what a species is based not only on the capability to breed but also on similar characters they portray.
Generally, animals belonging to the same species are regarded as animals that can freely breed and produce a fertile officing. However, this is only possible in theory. Practically there is much that is involved than just breeding. Genetic variations play a much bigger role in breeding than just mere belonging to the same species. Gene variation does not define the population in totality but is specific to a family or individual animal (Zachos, 2016). For hybridization of animals’ genes plays a huge role. Therefore, species that can freely breed and have fertile offspring must belong to an adjacent animal sharing similar genes. In the case of wolves, dingoes, and domesticated animals, there is no compelling justification to separate them from the same species; other than that, some domestic dogs can never interbreed to produce fertile offspring. This, therefore, means that similar character traits can determine species of organisms, and interbreeding can be one of the characters but not a major trait.
References
Van Eeden, L. M., Dickman, C. R., Newsome, T. M., & Crowther, M. S. (2019). What should we do with wild dogs? Taxonomic tangles and the management of dingo-dog hybridization. Australian Zoologist, 40(1), 92-101.
Zachos, F. E. (2016). Species concepts in biology. Cham, Switzerland: Springer.Vol. 8.