[Taxacom] Interesting use of terms

[Richard Zander]

Given the many isolated intraspecific molecular lineages that are
reported in the literature, and the many long-extant living fossils that
don't seem to have speciated, Mesibov is right that there needs to be
some skepticism about this paper. 

But wouldn't it be nice to believe this works? To trust that well-funded
scientists can't fool themselves? I just got a nice book called
Believing Bullshit: How Not to get Sucked into an Intellectual Black
Hole, by philosopher Stephen Law. It's mainly about the usual and easily
lambasted culprits, cults and the like, but don't we all skirt the Abyss
at times? Wouldn't some clear and logical guidelines be of day-to-day
value to all of us?


* * * * * * * * * * * *
Richard H. Zander
Missouri Botanical Garden, PO Box 299, St. Louis, MO 63166-0299 USA  
Web sites: http://www.mobot.org/plantscience/resbot/ and
http://www.mobot.org/plantscience/bfna/bfnamenu.htm
Modern Evolutionary Systematics Web site:
http://www.mobot.org/plantscience/resbot/21EvSy.htm


-----Original Message-----
From: taxacom-bounces at mailman.nhm.ku.edu
[mailto:taxacom-bounces at mailman.nhm.ku.edu] On Behalf Of Bob Mesibov
Sent: Wednesday, June 22, 2011 1:51 AM
To: TAXACOM
Subject: [Taxacom] Interesting use of terms

Molecular Ecology Resources (2011) 11, 473-480

SpedeSTEM: a rapid and accurate method for species delimitation
DANIEL D. ENCE and BRYAN C . CARSTENS
Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, 202 Life
Sciences Building, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA

Abstract
We describe a software package (SpedeSTEM) that allows researchers to
conduct a species delimitation analysis using intraspecific genetic
data. Our method operates under the assumption that a priori information
regarding group membership is available, for example that samples are
drawn from some number of described subspecies, races or distinct
morphotypes. SpedeSTEM proceeds by calculating the maximum likelihood
species tree from all hierarchical arrangements of the sampled alleles
and uses information theory to quantify the model probability of each
permutation. SpedeSTEM is tested here against empirical and simulated
data; results indicate that evolutionary lineages that diverged as few
as 0.5N generations in the past can be validated as distinct using
sequence data from little as five loci. This work enables speciation
investigations to identify lineages that are evolutionarily distinct and
thus have the potential to form new species before these lineages
acquire secondary characteristics such as reproductive isolation or
morphological differentiation that are commonly used to define species.

[In the original, the word 'before' in 'form new species before these
lineages' is in italics. Do you judge the 'accurate' bit in the title by
waiting to see if the subspecies, races or morphotypes turn into species
after, say, 10000 years?]
-- 
Dr Robert Mesibov