Species vs. Population — What's the Difference?
Edited by Tayyaba Rehman — By Fiza Rafique — Updated on November 2, 2023
Species are a group of living organisms capable of interbreeding, while a population is a group of individuals of the same species living in a particular area.
Difference Between Species and Population
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
A species is a fundamental category in the classification of living organisms, referring to a group whose members share common attributes and can interbreed to produce fertile offspring. Populations, however, represent a group of individuals of the same species that inhabit a common geographical area and are capable of interbreeding.
While species is a biological concept used to categorize living organisms based on shared characteristics and genetic similarity, population focuses more on the group dynamics of a species in a specific environment, such as their numbers, density, and genetic composition.
Species exist as distinct entities that are theoretically capable of interbreeding regardless of their global distribution, whereas populations are context-specific, representing a localized subset of a species. For instance, all humans belong to the species Homo sapiens, but a population would refer to the people living in New York City.
Conservation efforts often focus on species to preserve biodiversity, ensuring that the genetic material and unique adaptations of different species are maintained. In contrast, ecologists might study populations to understand how environmental factors affect the survival and reproduction of a species in a particular area.
The concept of a species is integral to understanding the diversity of life and is used in taxonomic classification to group similar organisms together. A population, by contrast, is a more dynamic concept, changing with births, deaths, migrations, and variations in individual health and reproductive status within a specific region.
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Comparison Chart
Definition
A group of organisms that can interbreed.
A group of the same species in a particular area.
Scope
Global concept.
Localized concept.
Focus
Genetic and reproductive compatibility.
Number, density, and dynamics of a specific group.
Conservation
Aimed at protecting species diversity.
Aimed at managing specific groups.
Study
Taxonomy and evolutionary biology.
Ecology and environmental science.
Compare with Definitions
Species
A class of individuals with shared characteristics that can breed.
The Bengal tiger is an endangered species.
Population
A subset of species in an ecological study.
They studied the fish population of the lake to assess health.
Species
The basic unit of biological classification.
Scientists have just discovered a new species of frog.
Population
All individuals of a species within a specific area.
The deer population in the forest has doubled.
Species
A group of similar organisms capable of exchanging genes.
This species of bird migrates over 3000 miles annually.
Population
The number of inhabitants in a place.
The population of Iceland is over 300,000.
Species
Distinct biological form within a broader category.
The species of oak in this forest are particularly robust.
Population
A group of organisms of one species that interbreed.
Biologists are tracking the lion population in the savannah.
Species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction.
Population
The total number of particular organisms present.
The mosquito population explodes during the wet season.
Species
A group of living organisms consisting of similar individuals capable of exchanging genes or interbreeding. The species is the principal natural taxonomic unit, ranking below a genus and denoted by a Latin binomial, e.g. Homo sapiens.
Population
In biology, a population is a number of all the organisms of the same group or species who live in a particular geographical area and are capable of interbreeding. The area of a sexual population is the area where inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals from other areas.In sociology, population refers to a collection of humans.
Species
A kind or sort
A species of invective at once tough and suave
Population
All the inhabitants of a particular place
The island has a population of about 78,000
Species
The visible form of each of the elements of consecrated bread and wine in the Eucharist.
Population
A community of animals, plants, or humans among whose members interbreeding occurs
Fluctuations in populations of voles and lemmings
Species
(Biology) A group of closely related organisms that are very similar to each other and are usually capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. The species is the fundamental category of taxonomic classification, ranking below a genus or subgenus. Species names are represented in binomial nomenclature by an uncapitalized Latin adjective or noun following a capitalized genus name, as in Ananas comosus, the pineapple, and Equus caballus, the horse.
Population
A finite or infinite collection of items under consideration.
Species
(Logic) A class of individuals or objects grouped by virtue of their common attributes and assigned a common name; a division subordinate to a genus.
Population
Each of three groups (designated I, II, and III) into which stars can be approximately divided on the basis of their manner of formation
The motions of Population II objects
Species
(Chemistry) A set of atoms, molecules, ions, or other chemical entities that possess the same distinct characteristics with respect to a chemical process or measurement.
Population
All of the people inhabiting a specified area.
Species
A kind, variety, or type
"No species of performing artist is as self-critical as a dancer" (Susan Sontag).
Population
The total number of such people.
Species
The outward appearance or form of the Eucharistic elements that is retained after their consecration.
Population
The total number of inhabitants constituting a particular race, class, or group in a specified area.
Species
Either of the consecrated elements of the Eucharist.
Population
The act or process of furnishing with inhabitants.
Species
Type or kind. race.}}
The male species
A new species of war
Population
(Ecology) All the organisms of a given species interacting in a specified area.
Species
A group of plants or animals having similar appearance.
This species of animal is unique to the area.
Population
(Statistics) The set of individuals, items, or data from which a statistical sample is taken. Also called universe.
Species
A category in the classification of organisms, ranking below genus; a taxon at that rank.
Population
The people living within a political or geographical boundary.
The population of New Jersey will not stand for this!
Species
A particular type of atom, molecule, ion or other particle.
Population
(by extension) The people with a given characteristic.
India has the third-largest population of English-speakers in the world.
Species
(mineralogy) A mineral with a unique chemical formula whose crystals belong to a unique crystallographic system.
Population
A count of the number of residents within a political or geographical boundary such as a town, a nation or the world.
The town’s population is only 243.
Population explosion;
Population growth
Species
An image, an appearance, a spectacle.
Population
(biology) A collection of organisms of a particular species, sharing a particular characteristic of interest, most often that of living in a given area.
A seasonal migration annually changes the populations in two or more biotopes drastically, many twice in opposite senses.
Species
(obsolete) The image of something cast on a surface, or reflected from a surface, or refracted through a lens or telescope; a reflection.
I cast the species of the Sun onto a sheet of paper through a telescope.
Population
(statistics) A group of units (persons, objects, or other items) enumerated in a census or from which a sample is drawn.
Species
Visible or perceptible presentation; appearance; something perceived.
Population
(computing) The act of filling initially empty items in a collection.
John clicked the Search button and waited for the population of the list to complete.
Species
(Christianity) Either of the two elements of the Eucharist after they have been consecrated.
Population
The act or process of populating; multiplication of inhabitants.
Species
Coin, or coined silver, gold, or other metal, used as a circulating medium; specie.
Population
The whole number of people, or inhabitants, in a country, or portion of a country; as, a population of ten millions.
Species
A component part of compound medicine; a simple.
Population
The people who inhabit a territory or state;
The population seemed to be well fed and clothed
Species
Plural of specie
Population
A group of organisms of the same species populating a given area;
They hired hunters to keep down the deer population
Species
Visible or sensible presentation; appearance; a sensible percept received by the imagination; an image.
Wit, . . . the faculty of imagination in the writer, which searches over all the memory for the species or ideas of those things which it designs to represent.
Population
(statistics) the entire aggregation of items from which samples can be drawn;
It is an estimate of the mean of the population
Species
A group of individuals agreeing in common attributes, and designated by a common name; a conception subordinated to another conception, called a genus, or generic conception, from which it differs in containing or comprehending more attributes, and extending to fewer individuals. Thus, man is a species, under animal as a genus; and man, in its turn, may be regarded as a genus with respect to European, American, or the like, as species.
Population
The number of inhabitants (either the total number or the number of a particular race or class) in a given place (country or city etc.);
People come and go, but the population of this town has remained approximately constant for the past decade
The African-American population of Salt Lake City has been increasing
Species
In science, a more or less permanent group of existing things or beings, associated according to attributes, or properties determined by scientific observation.
Population
The act of populating (causing to live in a place);
He deplored the population of colonies with convicted criminals
Species
A sort; a kind; a variety; as, a species of low cunning; a species of generosity; a species of cloth.
Species
Coin, or coined silver, gold, or other metal, used as a circulating medium; specie.
There was, in the splendor of the Roman empire, a less quantity of current species in Europe than there is now.
Species
A public spectacle or exhibition.
Species
A component part of a compound medicine; a simple.
Species
The form or shape given to materials; fashion or shape; form; figure.
Species
(biology) taxonomic group whose members can interbreed
Species
A specific kind of something;
A species of molecule
A species of villainy
Species
Taxonomic rank under genus.
Species name is always written in italics.
Common Curiosities
Can two different species belong to the same population?
No, a population consists of individuals from the same species.
What is a species?
A species is a group of living organisms that share common characteristics and can interbreed.
How does a species differ from a population?
A species is a broader classification, while a population refers to the specific group of species in an area.
How is population size measured?
Through census or sampling techniques that count individuals in a given area.
What is a population?
A population refers to all individuals of a species that live in a specific geographical area.
Why is the concept of species important?
It helps in the classification and understanding of biodiversity.
Do all members of a species look identical?
No, there can be variation, but they share key characteristics and genetic makeup.
How can populations be conserved?
Through habitat preservation, controlled breeding, and protection from threats.
Can a species have multiple populations?
Yes, a species can have many populations, each in different locations.
What happens if a population's habitat is destroyed?
It can lead to a decrease in population size and even extinction.
What factors affect population size?
Birth rates, death rates, immigration, and emigration.
Can populations evolve?
Yes, populations can evolve as they adapt to their environment.
Is a species always a group of animals?
No, it can also refer to plants, fungi, bacteria, and all living organisms.
Why do scientists study populations?
To understand the dynamics of species and their interaction with the environment.
Are all species equally important to an ecosystem?
All species play a role, but some are keystone species with a disproportionately large effect on their environment.
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Fiza RafiqueFiza Rafique is a skilled content writer at AskDifference.com, where she meticulously refines and enhances written pieces. Drawing from her vast editorial expertise, Fiza ensures clarity, accuracy, and precision in every article. Passionate about language, she continually seeks to elevate the quality of content for readers worldwide.
Edited by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
