Heredity, Natural Selection, and Evolution

Species and Population

What are a subspecies and a strain?

A subspecies is another way of describing a distinct population or variety. This term is used to describe the generation of hybrids that can occur when two different populations meet and interbreed. A strain or variety is a subcategory of a species. For example, Gregor Mendel’s (1822–1884) work with garden peas involved various strains; one strain had purple flowers while another had white.