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The species concept for prokaryotes.

R Rosselló-Mora1, R Amann

  • 1Department of Molecular Ecology, Max-Planck-Institute for Marine Microbiology, Celsiusstrasse 1, D-28359, Bremen, Germany. rossello-mora@uib.es

FEMS Microbiology Reviews
|January 12, 2001
PubMed
Summary
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The prokaryotic species concept, though useful and pragmatic, differs from eukaryotic concepts. A proposed phylo-phenetic species concept emphasizes genomic coherence and phenotypic diagnosis for microbial classification.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Taxonomy
  • Evolutionary Biology

Background:

  • The species concept is a long-standing debate in biology.
  • Prokaryotic species concepts have evolved with analytical techniques.
  • Current prokaryotic species concepts are widely accepted as practical and applicable.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To discuss the validity of the current prokaryotic species concept.
  • To compare the prokaryotic species concept with the numerous eukaryotic species concepts.
  • To propose a refined definition for the prokaryotic species concept.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing literature on species concepts.
  • Analysis of the characteristics defining prokaryotic species.
  • Comparison of prokaryotic and eukaryotic species delimitation criteria.

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Main Results:

  • The current prokaryotic species concept is empirically derived and pragmatic.
  • This concept is not aligned with any of the established eukaryotic species concepts.
  • A definition is proposed: a monophyletic, genomically coherent cluster with high similarity and a diagnosable phenotypic property.

Conclusions:

  • The empirically derived prokaryotic species concept is effective for microbial taxonomy.
  • A new 'phylo-phenetic species concept' is suggested for prokaryotes.
  • This proposed concept offers a pragmatic alternative to eukaryotic-centric species definitions.