Year 11 - Pre-Diploma Biology

Tommy Morteboy

THE MEANING OF SPECIES

The accompanying article from the New Scientist, Hybridisation Rules OK! by Martin Broo es, though no! dated "#pril $%%&', is still (ery (alid) He discusses the problems facing biologists !hen trying to define a species) The argument centres around a definition based upon reproducti(ely isolated organisms, or a definition based upon organisms !hich share common features and beha(iour) Read and then refer to the article to ans!er the *uestions)

The con(entional, present+day understanding of !hat !e mean by species is gi(en in lines ,, - . %) Q.1 /hat is that definition0 # species is indi(idual !ho produces fertile offspring, and both the spices can mate #s a definition it is *uic ly destroyed by the reference to Blue Whales and Fin Whales "lines %+$,') Q.2 Ho! do these t!o species contest the con(entional definition0 This is because the blue !hale and the 1in can mate !hich creates fertile offspring, e(en though they are not the same bread) 2n other !ords these t!o different !hales can create fertile offspring, so it is the contrary of the defenition 2n the 3rd paragraph "lines $-+3,', the t!o concepts of !hat a species is, are compared) Q.3 "i' /hat !as the species concept prior to the $%345s0 6pecies !here (ie!ed as different type of li(ing things they defined them as different "ii' #lthough not named in the te7t, !ho do you thin !as the greatest ad(ocate of this concept0

Q.4 /hat !as8is the species concept introduced by 9ob:hans y and Mayr in the $%345s0 /hat !as the species concept prior to the $%345s0 6pecies !ere (ie!ed as ;ust different type of li(ing things Q.5 9ar!in !as not particularly concerned by the concept of a species) /hy not0

9ar!in sa! animals as different entities and sa! then as indi(idual con(enience this !as because he sa! indi(iduals !ere ;ust li e his theory of e(olution, not spices) Q.6 <i(en the probable se(eral million of mostly tiny organisms not yet described on this planet, !hat problems face a natural historian !ho thin s s8he has found, and !ants to name a ne! species0 "=ines >3+&3' ?eople can not describe a ne! species until they ha(e e(idence that the li(ing thing can mate and that there are more than a million of the same species Q.7 /hat do you understand by the term sub-species 0 "=ine ,4' /hat 2 understood about sub species !as that !hen there is the same species but !ith different characteristics for e7ample a dog, a different breed Q.8 Organisms may differ or be similar in their morphology, anatomy and 9@# "line ,A', and their B))0 Ta7onomist species, !here reproducti(ely is compatible !hich holds a species together) The (ariation in bea s of the $3 "sub0' species of 9ar!in5s finches on <alCpagos are cited as a good e7ample of natural selection !or ing to ma e groups of birds distinct one from another, rather than reproducti(e isolation "lines -3+%-') Q.9 D7plain the argument being used) 9ar!in had this idea that species !ere different because that had different characteristic and this made them uni*ue Q.10 "i' /hy do hybridising species challenge the con(entional B6E0 "=ines %%+$$3'

There are mostly ignores becasuse they are challenging the notion species as cohesi(e) "ii' #nd !hy is the F6 Dndangered 6pecies #ct "$%,3' a problem for ta7onomists0 "=ines $$%+$G4' They do not protect hybrids because they are different for the rest so they don5t consider them) Red !ol(es and coyotes are no!n to ha(e hybridised "lines $G&+$G%') "iii' Ean you name another t!o species !ho can successfully hybridise0 Humans and Orangutans) Blue !hale and 1in !hales 9ar!inian e(olution theory focuses (ery much upon species and clusters of related indi(iduals "lines $>&+$>,') Q.11 /hat therefore is the e(ol(ing unit in 9ar!inian e(olution theory0 # species !ith a different characteristic must be a different species Q.12 6election forces act upon the small cluster of related indi(iduals but specifically, and in genetic terms, !hat is it that is being selected for or against0 Q.13 <i(en this discussion, !hat !ould no! be your Hbest5 definition of a species0

#n li(ing organism that is able to mate and release fertile offspring Q.14 /hat is the fundamental e(ent in the 9@# of an organism that ultimately can enable e(olution of a ne! organism !ith different characteristics to appear0 Bonding bet!een different species !ill create ne! 9@# and ne! characteristics, in other !ords its creating e(olution ) Q.15 1or one organism, gi(e a full classification "from Kingdom to species', saying at each point of classification, !hat characteristics enable the grouping of the organism)

Cats
KingdomI #nimalia ?hylumI Chordata ElassI Mammalia OrderI Earni(ora 1amilyI Felidae <enusI Neofelis 6peciesI catus 6ubspeciesI catus domesticus
John Osborne 1ebruary G4$A