Meaning & use
intraspecies
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Meaning
adjectivebefore a nountechnicalbiology
Happening or existing between members of the same biological species.
Grammar: Used before nouns like 'competition' or 'communication'; not usually after a verb.
Patterns
- intraspecies competition
- intraspecies communication
- intraspecies conflict
Intraspecies competition for food can be fierce among lions.
The study examined intraspecies differences in bird songs.
Intraspecies aggression is common in many primate groups.
Common combinations
- intraspecies competition
- Intraspecies competition for mates drives many evolutionary changes.
- intraspecies communication
- Bees use intraspecies communication to share the location of flowers.
- intraspecies variation
- There is a lot of intraspecies variation in dog breeds.
- intraspecies conflict
- Intraspecies conflict often arises over territory.
Synonyms and how they differ
- within-species
- A plain-English equivalent; 'intraspecies' is more formal and common in scientific writing.
Opposites
Word family
- intraspecific adjective
- Another term for the same idea, often used in biology.
Commonly confused: intraspecies or interspecies?
intraspecies vs interspecies
Means between different species (e.g., a horse and a donkey), while 'intraspecies' means within the same species.
Practice
Choose the correct word: 'The fight for territory among wolves is an example of ______ competition.'
Choose one answer.
'Intraspecies' means within the same species, which fits wolves competing with other wolves. 'Interspecies' would mean between different species, which is not the case here.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “intraspecies”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.