The Species Concept

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Species, as we know them, are groups of individuals that look alike, live together, and interact with one
another and with the other kinds in a similar way. This is a very vague denition of species as nature
has provided so many variations in animals that it is very difcult to precisely dene a species.
Various concepts to explain as to what actually constitutes a species have been given from time to
time. Some of them are given below.

1. Typological or morphological species concept

This is also called essentialism and was put forth by Plato andAristotle in 350 BC, was later followed
by Linnaeus and is still followed by majority of taxonomists. According to this concept universe has a
limited number of types and individuals are not given any recognition. Species can be recognized by
their most essential morphological characters. Therefore, species are groups of individuals that
resemble each other in most essential visible morphological characters OR morphologically distinct
organisms constitute a species. This concept emphasizes only the appearance of the animals.

2. Nominalistic species concept

This concept was put forward by Buffon and Lamarck in mid 18th century in France. According to this
concept, only individuals exist and species are man-made aberrations or abstractions. Followers of
this concept treat species as individuals on higher plane. Numerical taxonomists of today essentially
follow this concept by taking all characters of individuals and feeding them into a computer to get a
classication. Such classications are likely to beerroneous as they give equal importance to all
characters.

3. Genetic species concept

Simpson (1961) advocated that genetically identical individuals should be called Biospecies. M.
Florkin (1964) gave a denition as follows: Species are groups of individuals with more or less similar
combinations of sequences of purine and pyramidine bases in their macromolecules of DNA and with
a system of operators and repressors leading to the biosynthesis of similar amino acid sequences.

This denition is too complicated to be followed. Moreover, no two individuals (with the possible
exception of monozygotic twins) are genetically identical.

4. Evolutionary species concept

This concept takes into account the lineage of a species. The following denitions have been given:

Meglitsch (1954) said, Natural population evolving as a unit in actuality and retaining this capacity in
case articial barriers are removed.

Simpson (1961) gave this denition-Species is a lineage evolving separately from others and with its
own unitary evolutionary role and tendencies.

Wiley (1978): Species is a single lineage of ancestral descendant populations of organisms which
maintain its own evolutionary tendencies and historical fate.

Biologically the above concept is acceptable butit is difcult to nd evidence of lineage for lack of
fossil evidence in most cases.

5. Biological species concept

First proposed by K. Jordan (1905), this concept combines elements of typological, nominalistic and
genetic aspects and lays emphasis on the reproductive isolation. Ernst Mayr (1969) proposed the
following denition, which is now universally accepted, Species aregroups of actually or potentially
interbreeding natural populations that are reproductively isolated from other such groups.
According to this concept, a species forms a reproductive community, an ecological unit and a genetic
unit, which share a gene pool, and protect their gene pool from other species, by isolating
mechanisms. However, there are several difculties in applying this concept, three of them are
important:

1. Insufcient information

2. Uniparental reproduction

3. Evolutionary intermediaries

All the species concepts discussed above have some difculty or the other in applying them in
practice. Therefore, now taxonomists apply typological concept in everyday practice in identifying and
classifying animals but biological concept gets priority.

The Supra- and Infraspecic categories

Polytypic species (Rassenkreis): Rensch (1929) proposed the German term Rassenkreis (which
literally means Circle of races for those species, which have two or more geographically isolated
interbreeding populations.

Superspecies (Artenkreis): This German term literally means Circle of species. They are
monophyletic groups of closely related and largely or entirely allopatric species, distributed over a
wide range. Mayr (1931) introduced the term Superspecies for such closely related but distinct
species that have apperently evolved from a common ancestor.Examples of superspecies are
paradise magpies (Astrapia) in the mountains of New Guinea, e.g. Astrapia nigra, A. splendidissima, A.
mayeri, A. rothschildi and A. stephaniae. Species of Anopheles maculipennis complex in Europe are also
considered superspecies.

Sibling species: They are true sympatric species that are morphologically identical or nearly so but
are reproductively isolated. For example, Drosophila pseudo-obscura and D. persimilis are sibling
species.

Subspecies: This term was used by Schlegel in 19th century as a replacement for variety. Subspecies
is a geographically isolated (allopatric) population of a species that differs morphologically from other
populations of the species but does not exhibit reproductive isolatA trinomen is used to designate a
subspecies. For example, Cervus elephuselephus is the continental red deer and Cervus elephus
scoticus is the red deer of Great Britain

Variety: This was the only subdivision of species recognized by Linnaeus, who used it to identify any
variation from the type and for individual variants or for anything that did not t in a xed pattern of a
species. The term is no longer used and is not recognized as a valid taxonomic category.

Deme: This is a minimal interbreeding local population unit of a species which share a single gene
pool. Demes live in most suitable areas that are separated by regions of unsuitable conditions and are
affected by the gene ow from adjacent areas.

Cline: This is an evolutionary concept proposed by J.H. Huxley (1939) and is dened as a gradation in
measurable characters. Cline is formed by a series of contiguous populations in which a given
character changes gradually. Two opposite ends of the series may be very different but difcult to be
called subspecies due to the absence of geographical isolation. The terms geocline (geographic),
ecocline (ecological) and chronocline (succession lines) are also used.

Race: This is not a recognized taxonomic category. They are local populations of a species which are
affected by the local conditions and therefore develop morphological differences. For example human
races.

Hypodigm: All specimens personally known to taxonomists at the time of describing species and
used by him collectively as a sample on which his inferences are based.

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