En: Re: Exist sub-species?????

[Walter Boeger]

Dear all, 

Once again, we, human beings, are trying to fit nature (or the proccess of evolution, in this case) into well defined universal concepts that will allow us to make some sense of the big confusion out there.  "Things" out there are not static, do not behave (generally speaking) the same way, and, thus, one can only assume (as I do) that the most adequate working concept for species is the PSC (which allows me to do my work) but I am necessarily obligated to understand that "nature ain't so simple".  Each situation (species-problem?) has to be studied separately, as they appear.  Also, one can not allow oneself to eventually loose important information (or evidences) because of the limits of the working concept.

Although sometimes necessary in science, Stanley Miller once said (about the "concept of life"):  "Definitions <concepts?> are what you impose on your thoughts. It's all a sterile discussion as far as I am concerned, not very useful. There are so many more important things to discover that to engage in an extended discussion over definitions, I think, is a waste of time." (check at http://www.biomednet.com/hmsbeagle/57/viewpts/page1).  Well, perhaps I don't agree completely with him, since definitions, concepts and assumptions are required for science, but we seem to be "stuck" too much on them sometimes and "blinded" to important things happening around us.

The same happens to sub-species.  I don't like it, I don't use it (actually, I can not use it since I am a follower of the PSC) but one has to recognize that evolution is not static and that speciation is still happening out there.  Some speciation processes may begin and never end, some are happening right now and, thus, differences between species (evolutionary lineages) may not be so evident yet (is this a sub-species?).   The major problem I see with the sub-species concept is that there is no "commom ground" to define it.  What is a sub-species for a bird may not have the same meaning of a sub-species for a plant or a fungus species.

Yes, I am not a philosopher...   I only try to be practical and understand what's happening...

Walt
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Walter A. Boeger, Ph.D.
Grupo Integrado de Aqüicultura e
Departamento de Zoologia, UFPR
Caixa Postal 19073
Curitiba, PR 81531-990
Brasil
fone:  55-41-3663144 ramal 206
fax: 55-41-2662042
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http://zoo.bio.ufpr.br/mono/monos.html
wboeger at bio.ufpr.br
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