Species specificity, as a biological process, refers to the selective interaction, compatibility, or functional activity of biological molecules, cells, or pathogens with organisms of particular species, arising from co-evolved structural and regulatory determinants. It encompasses mechanisms such as species-restricted receptor–ligand recognition, host-range determinants in pathogens, species-dependent expression or sequence variants of target proteins, and immune recognition constraints that limit cross-species functionality. Species specificity thus governs processes like host tropism, cross-species transmission barriers, xenogeneic incompatibilities, and the species-selective efficacy or toxicity of biomolecules, ultimately shaping interspecies boundaries in infection, signaling, and physiological regulation.
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