Question

Who first recognized that species were groups of organisms that were distinguished from other such groups by their ability to mate with one another and produce fertile offspring?

Answer 1

Answer:

Answer is John Ray.

Explanation:

John Ray was an English botanist that was successful in establishing species as the important or ultimate unit of taxonomy. His classification of plants was based on overall morphology and that makes its classification different from that of Linneaus, which based his own classification on floral reproductive organ.

John Ray classified plants into three major groups, which are

* Monocotyledon..... this is the group of flowering plants,  with only one cotyledon.

* Dicotyledon..... group of flowering plants with two cotyledons.

* Cryptograms.....these are plants that reproduce by spores.

It should be noted that flowering plants are also referred to as the ANGIOSPERMS.