Conspecificity

Conspecificity is a concept in biology. Two or more individual organisms, populations, or taxa are conspecific if they belong to the same species.[1]

Where different species can interbreed and their gametes compete, the conspecific gametes take precedence over heterospecific gametes. This is known as conspecific sperm precedence or conspecific pollen precedence in plants.

Contents

Antonym

The antonym, (opposite term) of conspecificity is the term heterospecificity: two individuals are heterospecific if they are considered to belong to different biological species.[2]

Neurology

See the discussion of mirror neuron in which a neuron fires both when the animal performs an action and when the animal sees another animal perform the same action.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Conspecificity". Biology online. http://www.biology-online.org/dictionary/Conspecificity. Retrieved 5 December 2009. 
  2. ^ "Heterospecificity". Biology online. http://www.biology-online.org/dictionary/Heterospecificity. Retrieved 5 December 2009.