How do researchers make an initial determination about which microbes are different species using the phylogenetic species concept?

A) by examining the potential for microbial species to swap genetic information
B) by comparing the gene pool of different metapopulations within a lineage
C) by using a gene shared across the entire tree of life to compare lineages
D) by comparing observable traits such as morphology or staining characteristics

Phylogenetic Species Concept

A definition of species emphasizing the smallest group of individuals that share a common ancestor and thus form one branch on the tree of life.

Metapopulations

A group of spatially separated populations of the same species which interact at some level, often considered in conservation biology and disease dynamics.

Lineages

Sequences of species that have evolved from a common ancestor, depicted in family trees showing evolutionary relationships.