BSC

[Richard Jensen]

On Fri, 12 Nov 1999, Bill Shear wrote:

> >On Thu, 11 Nov 1999, Curtis Clark wrote:
> >
> >> I think of the BSC as the "Bogus Species Concept"; there is a certain
> >> elegance to the basic idea, but in practice the failure to realize that the
> >> ability to interbreed does not correlate with gene flow renders the concept
> >> untenable even with vertebrates, much less with plants and a whole lot of
> >> other "ill-behaved" organisms.
> >
> >The BSC also requires, in addition to ability to interbreed, the
> >production of fertile offspring which themselves have the ability to
> >interbreed; in addition, this "gene pool" must retain its identity with
> >respect to other gene pools.  That doesn't rule out gene flow between
> >species, but the production of hybrids should not play any significant
> >role in the evolutionary fate of either species.
>
>
> This is an all-too-common misunderstanding of the BSC.  The question is not
> an "ability to interbreed," but the presence of reproductive isolation
> between populations.

I thought I made this point in the paragraph above - 'this "gene pool"
must retain its identity with respect to other gene pools.'  I didn't
think I had to go into more detail to make it clear that reproductive
isolation is involved.

Dick

Richard J. Jensen      |   E-MAIL: rjensen at saintmarys.edu
Dept. of Biology       |   TELEPHONE: 219-284-4674
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