Difference between Genus and Species
The main difference between Genus and Species is that Genus is a rank in the classification of the organism, below Family and above Species, and Species is the taxonomic unit, which is located below a Genus. A species is a group of populations in which genes are exchanged through interbreeding or entanglement.
Gender versus species
Genus and species are both taxonomic ranges in the biological classification of an organism. The organism of a separate genus cannot produce offspring that are capable of reproduction. The species is the largest group of organisms that subspecies can raise and reproduce offspring that can also reproduce. The genus is just above the species in the taxonomic hierarchy of an organism, while a species is the lowest and final level of the classification. The genus is made up of any number of species, but a species is made up of any number of subspecies that have similar characteristics.In the scientific classification of any organism, the first part of the name is called the generic name, while the second part of the name it is known as a species name.
Comparative chart
| Gender | Species |
| Genus is a rank in the taxonomic hierarchy, below family and above species. | The species is the group of closely related organisms that have similar characteristics and can produce fertile offspring through reproduction. |
| Etymology | |
| It is a Greek word that means Race. | It is a Latin word that means appearance |
| Rank in classification | |
| The genus has a higher grouping than that of species | Species is an essential and lowest level of classification of an organism. |
| Composition | |
| Different species made the genus. | The species consist of different subspecies |
| Number of organisms | |
| It consists of a large number of organisms. | Consists of fewer organisms |
| The part in the binomial name | |
| The first segment of the name of the binomial nomenclature of a specific organism is called the genus | In the nomenclatural binomial the second part of the scientific name of an organism is called a species |
| Example | |
| In Homo sapiens, Homo refers to the genus | In Homo sapiens, sapiens refers to species. |
Genus is a rank in the taxonomic hierarchy that includes a large number of closely related species. Genus is a singular noun and, in the plural, it is “genders.” Organisms of separate genera cannot produce offspring that are capable of reproduction. A genus made up of more than one species and these species have similar characteristics. The genus name of a specific individual is written in italics and is the first word of the scientific name of an organism. The first letter of the genus name is always capitalized.
Example
The scientific name for humans is Homo sapiens , in which the genus name is Homo since the first segment of the binomial name of any particular organism is its generic name. As an abbreviation, it is common practice to capitalize the first letter of the genus name as (for example, in the case of ( H. Sapiens ). Genus names are sometimes given an English flavor to make it sound more habitual.also called as generic epithet or generic name.
What is a species?
Species are the lowest and most basic level in a taxonomic hierarchy in which the group of organisms has similar characteristics or attributes and is capable of producing fertile offspring. Individuals of the same species have identical chromosome counts; it means that they are identical in structure and shape. The organisms of a species usually share the same intrinsic characteristics only to their species. In taxonomy, any number of species can comprise a single genus, making it the ancestor of the species. The species name is the second part of the scientific name of an organism. It is generally written in italics and lowercase.
For example, in the case of the scientific name for humans, that is Homo sapiens . The second part of the scientific name for humans is the name of their species.
Key differences
- In binomial nomenclature, the first part of the name is called the genus and the second part of the name is called the species.
- Different subspecies make up the species and different species make up the genus.
- The genus is located below the family, but the species is the final level of binomial nomenclature.
- The genus contains a large number of organisms, while the species contains less number of microorganisms.
Final Thought
The crux of the content is the genus and the species are the levels of a taxonomic name which is also known as the scientific classification of a specific organism. The genus includes those organisms that can produce offspring that cannot reproduce fertile offspring, but species include those organisms that can interbreed to produce fertile offspring.