What defines a species?

[dlamberth]

"The question of what defines a species has vexed scientists across the ages, particularly in conservation, where decisions require a firm understanding of biodiversity."

What defines a species? Inside the fierce debate that's rocking biology to its core

 

[Unqualified]

Confused again by Gods creation? Wanting a nice neat little package to explain a not so nice big package. Some are subspecies and some are totally different. This world is not in agreement about anything much less communicating. But all the parts are there and the differences but 2 million species is too much to classify. It’s all there to exactly confound the wise. And splitting hairs they are.

I got my as in conservation. It’s grown in information but not in understanding? Science is limited. Would the multi science approach including spirituality help? Or is that long abandoned. How bout eastern religions. It is what it is.
Every science needs a breakthrough, energy, taxonomy, genetics, a new way to go, now that the obvious is done.
Small scopes big scopes, to actually go there. Will understanding come then? God is coming to us and then we may understand. Proving a point or making a point prove itself. God has the answers. We understand like mere men and women.

 

[Ophiolite]

And splitting hairs they are.

You spelled "hares" incorrectly. Taxonomists split them into thirty four species: see wikipedia.

 

[Astrid]

"The question of what defines a species has vexed scientists across the ages, particularly in conservation, where decisions require a firm understanding of biodiversity."

What defines a species? Inside the fierce debate that's rocking biology to its core

Rocking to its core?
Sounds like tabloid science.

 

[ViaCrucis]

We're the ones who define species, genera, etc. Taxonomy and cladistics are a contrived attempt to organize and systemetize what we observe in the natural world. The problem is that life is fluid, and doesn't fit neatly into our systemic attempts to categorize it.

So it seems like "species" is a useful category, with general rules that allow us to talk about this or that species. But biodiversity is not neat and tidy, but fluid, messy, and complicated.

-CryptoLutheran

 

[AV1611VET]

Rocking to its core?
Sounds like tabloid science.

If the shoe fits ...

 

[Astrid]

We're the ones who define species, genera, etc. Taxonomy and cladistics are a contrived attempt to organize and systemetize what we observe in the natural world. The problem is that life is fluid, and doesn't fit neatly into our systemic attempts to categorize it.

So it seems like "species" is a useful category, with general rules that allow us to talk about this or that species. But biodiversity is not neat and tidy, but fluid, messy, and complicated.

-CryptoLutheran

Just as you'd expect from evolution.

 

[AV1611VET]

Just as you'd expect from evolution.

Yup.

Blue lines to gloss over the problems that ViaCrucis brought up.

 

[FrumiousBandersnatch]

"The question of what defines a species has vexed scientists across the ages, particularly in conservation, where decisions require a firm understanding of biodiversity."

What defines a species? Inside the fierce debate that's rocking biology to its core

'Species' is not a well-defined scientific term, more of a rough & ready categorisation. Its meaning is contextual, varying between different fields of biology.

 

[Astrid]

'Species' is not a well-defined scientific term, more of a rough & ready categorisation. Its meaning is contextual, varying between different fields of biology.

If organisms had been created as per Genesis,
" after its kind" and all,each species would be
distinct, no prob defining.

And no pomeranian or chihuahua.

 

[ViaCrucis]

Just as you'd expect from evolution.

Exactly.

-CryptoLutheran

 

[AV1611VET]

If organisms had been created as per Genesis, "after its kind" and all, each species would be distinct, no prob defining.

Yup.

A giraffe was a giraffe, and an elephant was an elephant.

It takes science to say a man is an ape.

 

[Ophiolite]

It takes science to say a man is an ape.

Yet another example of the considerable power and value of science.

 

[AV1611VET]

Yet another example of the considerable power and value of science.

Absolute power corrupts absolutely.

 

[jayem]

It takes science to say a man is an ape.

Modern Homo sapiens is a separate member of the primate clade. Which includes chimps, the African great apes, orangutans, gibbons, and others. DNA analysis confirms that our genome differs by only 1.2% from that of chimps and bonobos.

So don't say that we're apes. Why not say that the other primates are variants of us?

 

[Ace777]

It takes science to say a man is an ape.

You do not see the resemblance? How can you miss it ?

 

[Astrid]

You do not see the resemblance? How can you miss it ?

View attachment 351210

So I guess you figure a dolphin is a fish.

 

[dlamberth]

Yup.

A giraffe was a giraffe, and an elephant was an elephant.

It takes science to say a man is an ape.

https://naturalhistory.si.edu/sites/default/files/media/file/elephants2tree190520-compressed.pdf

 

[AV1611VET]

https://naturalhistory.si.edu/sites/default/files/media/file/elephants2tree190520-compressed.pdf

Thanks for the QED.

 

[Ace777]

So I guess you figure a dolphin is a fish.

What point are you trying to make?
Fish go back to the Cambrian explosion around 530 million years ago.
Whales, dolphins, and porpoises are mammals. go back about 50 million years ago during the Eocene epoch.