What is a sub-species?

Question

What is the difference between itself and a species. Can the organisms from a species and from that sub species still breed and produce fertile offspring?

e.g. Can the Western European house mouse still breed and produce fertile offspring with the Nolsoy house mouse?

Answer 1

A subspecies is a geographically-limited portion of a species the members of which can potentially interbreed with members of other subspecies. They may or may not do so in nature, depending on how close (geographically) they are to the range of the other subspecies. Most, if not all individuals can be identified as members of the subspecies. This separates a subspecies from a population, which requires a sizable sample to distinguish it from another population.

It sounds fairly straightforward but different experts on the same group can still disagree. And we won't get into klines, which can be even more confusing.

More than you wanted to know?

Answer 2

Subspecies:  A group somewhat less distinct than species usually are, but based on characters more important than those which characterize ordinary varieties; often, a geographical variety or race. (biology) a taxonomic group that is a division of a species; usually arises as a consequence of geographical isolation within a species. The most precise classification of organism.  http://www.biology-online.org/dictionary...

ABC's of Animal Taxonomy

http://home.pcisys.net/~dlblanc/articles...

With all the research in to genomes, this term is becoming less used and generally unaccepted.  Yes, one of the main points in the definition of species is that they can reproduce and have viable young.  Of course all subspecies of a species can.  An example is all the reclassification of the wolf.  There was at one time 32 species/subspecies.  After the genome research and a meeting of wolf taxonomist, there now exist a single species with 6 subspecies.  And yes, all these can breed and produce viable young.

Answer 3

Subspecies are reckoned to differ from one another, but not sufficiently to warrent the status of a separate species.  In some cases, different researchers have differing opinions of that, sometimes because they're working from somewhat different perspectives.

<<Can the organisms from a species and from that sub species still breed and produce fertile offspring?>>

They generally should be able to, at least in theory.  As, quite often, subspecies are geographically isolated from one another, they don't necessarily get the chance to test that possibility.

Answer 4

A subspecies is a population of animals which has slight differences to other populations of the same species, brought about by the pressures of its particular environment, but is not different enough to be considered a different species. For example, there is only one species of tiger, Panthera tigris, but there are several subspecies - they can all interbreed with each other and produce fertile offspring, but there are slight differences between them. The Siberian tiger, Panthera tigris altaica, is larger than the other subspecies, with thicker, lighter-coloured fur and a fold of fat along the belly, all adaptations to its environment which tigers in other places do not have.