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Do species exist? : principles of taxonomic classification / Werner Kunz.

By: Material type: TextTextPublisher number: EB00084327 | Recorded BooksPublication details: Weinheim, Germany : Wiley-Blackwell ; Chichester : John Wiley [distributor], ©2012.Edition: 1st edDescription: 1 online resource (xxxiii, 245 pages) : illustrations (some color)Content type:
  • text
Media type:
  • computer
Carrier type:
  • online resource
ISBN:
  • 9783527664252
  • 3527664254
  • 1299559824
  • 9781299559820
Other title:
  • Principles of taxonomic classification
Subject(s): Genre/Form: Additional physical formats: Print version:: Do species exist?DDC classification:
  • 576.86 23
LOC classification:
  • QH83 .K787 2012eb
Online resources:
Contents:
Are species constructs of the human mind? -- Why is there a species problem? -- Is the biological species a class or is it an individual? -- What are traits in taxonomy? -- Diversity within the species : polymorphisms and the polytypic species -- Biological species as gene-flow community -- The cohesion of organisms through genealogical lineage (cladistics) -- Outlook.
Summary: The species problem (the two questions, do species exist and, if yes, according to what criteria do two individuals belong to the same species) is one of the oldest questions in biology. Darwin's 'Origin of the Species' was - and still is - one of the most comprehensive answers to this problem. However, even Darwin's work cannot satisfactorily explain many of the speciation questions. Over the years, many concurrent taxonomic systems have evolved each of them particularly well suited for the speciation of certain groups of organisms but all of them fail to provide a universal answer to all questions relating to speciation. Do Species Exist? is a readily comprehensible guide for a wide audience of biologists, field taxonomists and philosophers, giving an excellent overview of the species problem without delving into the many feuds between the different schools of taxonomy.
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Print version record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Are species constructs of the human mind? -- Why is there a species problem? -- Is the biological species a class or is it an individual? -- What are traits in taxonomy? -- Diversity within the species : polymorphisms and the polytypic species -- Biological species as gene-flow community -- The cohesion of organisms through genealogical lineage (cladistics) -- Outlook.

The species problem (the two questions, do species exist and, if yes, according to what criteria do two individuals belong to the same species) is one of the oldest questions in biology. Darwin's 'Origin of the Species' was - and still is - one of the most comprehensive answers to this problem. However, even Darwin's work cannot satisfactorily explain many of the speciation questions. Over the years, many concurrent taxonomic systems have evolved each of them particularly well suited for the speciation of certain groups of organisms but all of them fail to provide a universal answer to all questions relating to speciation. Do Species Exist? is a readily comprehensible guide for a wide audience of biologists, field taxonomists and philosophers, giving an excellent overview of the species problem without delving into the many feuds between the different schools of taxonomy.

Life Sciences