Re: NANFA-L-- Moribund fish & Life Outside

dlmcneely at lunet.edu
Thu, 27 Oct 2005 15:41:02 -0500

In fact, the concept is far from meaningless, since it provides a means
through which we can examine evolution. It is more than just names for
critters. Probably, of all taxonomic levels, this is the only one that
represents something that truly exists in nature ---- a population and
its genetic makeup. Genera, families, and so on are conveniences for
grouping. Now, we do try to group according to relationships, and so
the groups are supposed to make evolutionary sense. But, as you
observed, the groups also may not make much sense (like the old
grouping of Pisces (common name fish), which turned out not to
represent a natural, evolutionary grouping, at least the way modern
taxonomists see it.

Some systematicists advocate doing away with these levels, and adopting
something they call Phylocode. Look it up. You;ll either find it
weird, and not very useful, or you may say -- why hasn't this come up
before? .

Dave

David L. McNeely, Ph.D., Professor of Biology
Langston University; P.O. Box 1500
Langston, OK 73050; email: dlmcneely at lunet.edu
telephone: (405) 466-6025; fax: 405) 466-3307
home page http://www.lunet.edu/mcneely/index.htm

"Where are we going?" "I don't know, are we there yet?"

----- Original Message -----
From: Bruce Stallsmith <fundulus at hotmail.com>
Date: Wednesday, October 26, 2005 4:41 pm
Subject: Re: NANFA-L-- Moribund fish & Life Outside
> No. Different species concepts apply to different organisms. And
> some people
> set up criteria to complicate the process. It sure ain't meaningless.
>
> --Bruce Stallsmith
> along the Tennessee
> Huntsville, AL, US of A
>
> >From: Mysteryman <bestfish at alaweb.com>
> >Reply-To: nanfa-l at nanfa.org
> >To: nanfa-l at nanfa.org
> >Subject: Re: NANFA-L-- Moribund fish & Life Outside
> >Date: Wed, 26 Oct 2005 16:31:10 -0700
> >
> >So, basically, what it comes down to is that "species" is a word
> that, like
> >the word "fish," everyone knows the meaning of yet can't define
> because it
> >is technically meaningless?
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