What is a species

[John Trueman]

Re: today's entertaining discussion

The ability to interbreed is a plesiomorphic trait, so not good for a test
of species-status.  Everyone has their own idea as to what makes a species.
My favourite definition is: The smallest set of populations which together
have a separate evolutionary future.  On that definition coyotes and dogs
perhaps are not separate species, but possums in New Zealand are.

John

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John Trueman
Bioinformatics Unit
Research School of Biological Sciences
Australian National University        -------------------------------------
Canberra, ACT 0200,  AUSTRALIA       | Parsimony is nowhere inconsistent  |
                                     | it's your aligment which is wrong. |
ph: +61 6 249 4840                    -------------------------------------
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