In Chapter 2 Darwin took the principles of selection he described in Chapter 1 for domesticated plants and animals and applied them to the rest of the world, what he termed the natural world. Darwin realized that to describe the variation present in nature and the origin of new species one needs to have a clear understanding of the concept of species and a useful working definition of the word species, and Chapter 2 is devoted to his exposition on the subject. Modern biologists can appreciate the difficulties Darwin recognized in attempting to define species, for even today there is considerable discussion among scientists on what is known as “the species concept”. Darwin’s words from 150 years ago still ring true today when he wrote, “No one definition has as yet satisfied all naturalists…”
A good website for an overview of the species concept can be found at
http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evosite/evo101/VA1BioSpeciesConcept.shtml
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