Species Concepts in Biology

Species Concepts in Biology
Author :
Publisher : Springer
Total Pages : 227
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9783319449661
ISBN-13 : 3319449664
Rating : 4/5 (61 Downloads)

Book Synopsis Species Concepts in Biology by : Frank E. Zachos

Download or read book Species Concepts in Biology written by Frank E. Zachos and published by Springer. This book was released on 2016-10-05 with total page 227 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Frank E. Zachos offers a comprehensive review of one of today’s most important and contentious issues in biology: the species problem. After setting the stage with key background information on the topic, the book provides a brief history of species concepts from antiquity to the Modern Synthesis, followed by a discussion of the ontological status of species with a focus on the individuality thesis and potential means of reconciling it with other philosophical approaches. More than 30 different species concepts found in the literature are presented in an annotated list, and the most important ones, including the Biological, Genetic, Evolutionary and different versions of the Phylogenetic Species Concept, are discussed in more detail. Specific questions addressed include the problem of asexual and prokaryotic species, intraspecific categories like subspecies and Evolutionarily Significant Units, and a potential solution to the species problem based on a hierarchical approach that distinguishes between ontological and operational species concepts. A full chapter is dedicated to the challenge of delimiting species by means of a discrete taxonomy in a continuous world of inherently fuzzy boundaries. Further, the book outlines the practical ramifications for ecology and evolutionary biology of how we define the species category, highlighting the danger of an apples and oranges problem if what we subsume under the same name (“species”) is in actuality a variety of different entities. A succinct summary chapter, glossary and annotated list of references round out the coverage, making the book essential reading for all biologists looking for an accessible introduction to the historical, philosophical and practical dimensions of the species problem.


Species Concepts in Biology Related Books

Species Concepts in Biology
Language: en
Pages: 227
Authors: Frank E. Zachos
Categories: Science
Type: BOOK - Published: 2016-10-05 - Publisher: Springer

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Frank E. Zachos offers a comprehensive review of one of today’s most important and contentious issues in biology: the species problem. After setting the stage
Concepts of Biology
Language: en
Pages: 0
Authors: Samantha Fowler
Categories:
Type: BOOK - Published: 2023-05-12 - Publisher:

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Black & white print. Concepts of Biology is designed for the typical introductory biology course for nonmajors, covering standard scope and sequence requirem
Species Concepts and Phylogenetic Theory
Language: en
Pages: 410
Authors: Quentin D. Wheeler
Categories: Science
Type: BOOK - Published: 2000-06-22 - Publisher: Columbia University Press

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

No question in theoretical biology has been more perennially controversial or perplexing than "What is a species?" Recent advances in phylogenetic theory have c
The Pangenome
Language: en
Pages: 311
Authors: Hervé Tettelin
Categories: Science
Type: BOOK - Published: 2020-04-30 - Publisher: Springer Nature

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This open access book offers the first comprehensive account of the pan-genome concept and its manifold implications. The realization that the genetic repertoir
Code International de Nomenclature Zoologique
Language: fr
Pages: 364
Authors: International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature
Categories: Animals
Type: BOOK - Published: 1985 - Publisher: Univ of California Press

DOWNLOAD EBOOK