Diversity of apples

Thomas Schlemmermeyer termites at USP.BR
Fri Sep 29 12:27:27 CDT 2000


OK, let's continue with apples: If, as commonly supported in systematics, the
terminal unit is the species, we have only one single scientific name for
apples. Thus the systematists would not even realize an eventual decrease in
apple diversity through the extinction of many of the formerly cultivated apple
varieties.

How do systematists deal with this situation? Of course the same applies for
bananas, oranges and so on.



On (         Fri, 29 Sep 2000 10:07:49 -0500),         Thomas Lammers
<lammers at VAXA.CIS.UWOSH.EDU> wrote:

>
>At 08:34 AM 9/29/00 -0600, you wrote:
>
>>sp. denotes species.
>>spp. is all inclusive (Past, Present, Future) species
>
>sp. is singular,  spp. is merely plural.
>
>As to the rest of your qwuestion: whether a given species is included
>within one genus or another is not so much a matter of past vs. current
>practice as it is of differences of opinion among taxonomists.  Some think
>the commercial apple belongs to the same genus as the commercial pear
>(Pyrus communis) and call it Pyrus malus.  Others think apples deserve
>their own genus and call the commercial apple Malus pumila.  One cannot say
>that one or the other classification is correct, or that one is the "past"
>classification, the other the "present" classification; there are data to
>support both points of view.
>
>Or have I misunderstood the question?
>Thomas G. Lammers, Ph.D.
>
>Assistant Professor and Curator of the Herbarium (OSH)
>Department of Biology and Microbiology
>University of Wisconsin Oshkosh
>Oshkosh, Wisconsin 54901-8640 USA
>
>e-mail:       lammers at uwosh.edu
>phone:      920-424-7085
>fax:           920-424-1101
>
>Plant systematics; classification, nomenclature, evolution, and
>biogeography of the Campanulaceae s. lat.
>-----------------------------------------------------------
>"Today's mighty oak is yesterday's nut that stood his ground."
>                                                 -- Anonymous
>
>





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