RE: What´s a subspecies was: Species Concept Question

[Richard Pyle]

> Maybe it is just my opinion from a plant perspective that I don´t have a
> problem with two species exchanging genes.

Neither do I, really -- but in vertebrates (moreso than plants), patterns of
rampant hybridization are strong evidence of close affinity (i.e., almost
always occur between two populations that are deemed to be sister taxa by
other criteria).

> At least for me, subspecies are
> geographically separated but not clearly morphologically distinct.

I agree with this, too.  But I think of subspecies more generally as
incipient species with clearly modal morphotypes, but which cannot be
confidently assumed to be reproductively isolated into perpetuity.  This
definition probably wouldn't work for many unicellular organisms, plants,
corals, and other forms.

Aloha,
Rich