Before examining an example of speciation in the Galápagos, consider two species of large cats. Lions and tigers live on differe
nt continents and differ in many ways. In nature, they do not hybridize, or interbreed. Therefore, according to the biological species concept, lions and tigers are separate species. However, in captivity, humans have been able to interbreed lions and tigers. Hybridization of a male lion and a female tiger forms a liger. Ligers are able to produce fertile offspring. Based on this information, do you still think lions and tigers are separate species? (All responses will be marked correct.)
Any of the answers are correct. This question is completely opinionated (I chose no).
[If you limit your interpretation of the biological species concept to only what happens in nature, lions and tigers are separate species. In contrast, if you consider what is possible with human intervention, you could argue that lions and tigers are not separate species since they can be crossed to form fertile ligers.
The biological species concept is one of over 20 different species concepts that attempt to put nature into human-constructed categories. Most biologists would agree that the challenge of defining species has still not been elegantly solved.]
