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What is a Species?
D E F

broccoli

cauliflower

Brassica oleracea Family Brassicaceae

Brassica oleracea Family Brassicaceae

Brassica rapa Family Brassicaceae

Cabbage Wild mustard

Brussels sprouts

Sedum spectabile Family Crassulaceae

Lactuca sativa Family Asteraceae

Pistia stratiotes Family Araceae

Kale Kohlrabi

Why do we need to know what a species is?

Utility

CONCEPT OF SPECIES

Delimit groups of organisms along natural fault lines, so that approximately the same groupings can be recovered by independent observers

Basic rank of classification Order and retrieve information on individual specimens in collections or data banks

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Why do we need to know what a species is?

Species are crucial in biodiversity issues
Conservation, ecology, legislation concerns focus on this level Something quantifiable

Going back... WHAT is a species?

Biology is the study of life

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Historically...
Aristotle
Species have a form or essence Variations within species are due to imperfections of this form

But, again, WHAT is a species?

It is actually controversial....

Morphological Species Concept

Darwin I believe that species come to be tolerably well-defined objects, and do not at any one period present an inextricable chaos of varying and intermediate links.
Used gaps in morphology to delimit species Criterion can be extended to ecology, behavior or genetics

Biological Species Concept

A species is a population or group of populations whose members have the potential to interbreed and produce fertile offspring Reproductive barriers prevent gene flow between 2 different species

Reproductive Barriers
Prezygotic
a. Temporal isolation b. Habitat isolation -different mating times -different habitats

Reproductive Barriers
Postzygotic
a. Hybrid inviability -hybrids do not survive

b. Hybrid sterility
c. Behavioral isolation d. Mechanical isolation e. Gametic isolation -no sexual attraction -incompatible mating organs

-hybrids do not produce functional gametes

-offspring of hybrids are weak or infertile

c. Hybrid breakdown

-incompatible gametes

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Biological Species Concept

Difficult to apply on organisms which are not known to undergo sexual reproduction or where sexual barriers cannot be determined

Recognition Concept of Species

Paterson
True reality underlying species was prezygotic compatibility Postzygotic barriers are not as essential

Ecological Species Concept

van Valen, Mayr
Occupancy of an ecological niche

Niche = n-dimensional hypervolume

where n = number of environmental factors important for survival and reproduction of one species

George Evelyn Hutchinson

It is where you are and what you are doing that matters

Evolutionary Concept of Species

A species is a cluster of organisms that represent a genealogy or a lineage of descent.

Cohesion Concept of Species

Combination of ecological and reproductive cohesion Includes components of evolution, ecology, recognition and interbreeding

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Objections to the Species Concept

Species are not individual real objects but instead are manmade constructs. They exist, but we dont know how to measure or define them. It is more useful to identify species using morphological characters and genetic gaps rather than try to infer the underlying process of how they came about

So... what is a species?

(Are they real?)

Objections to the Species Concept

If organisms are a continuum of genes, then assigning points become arbitrary Species becomes a unit of measure 1 meter ~ 1 yard ~ 1 dipa But the diversity of life does not run on just one straight line.

Species as Evolutionary Units

Species exist and are real in local communities, but only within local communities If it does not exchange genes with a distant population, it is fallacious to treat them as the same species

Challenge for Taxonomists

Taxonomists
front line in identifying species

If you were a taxonomist, how would you classify species?

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But just because you dont understand something, does that make it useless?

Ecological and biodiversity studies tend to ignore difficulties in classifying species and assume that species are objectively real basal units
Convention on Biological Diversity International Union for the Conservation of Nature Endangered Species

Whether an organism is Species A or Species B does not change its biological characteristics.

Points to Ponder
Classification is man-made
differences in opinion is to be expected

Classification is arbitrary
changes are to be expected as taxonomists are able to gather new information about organisms

Classification is not the basic biological concept, DIVERSITY OF LIFE is.

Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau

Department of Environment and Natural Resources
Photo and text by E.S. Fernando

Hence, it is important to study the similarities and differences of organisms so that they can be used to better understand the changes that occurred among organisms through time.

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Sources
Next meeting... Mechanisms and Evidences of Evolution Slides were taken and modified from:
Bio 11 slides Bio 12 slides Dr. Catherine Lagunzad

Photos were taken from the internet Main reference:

Mallet 2007. Species, Concept of. Encyclopedia of Biodiversity.