A Conversation for Language and Life - a Perspective on Species
*applauds*
Otto Fisch ("Stop analysing Strava.... and cut your hedge") Started conversation Jul 18, 2002
Hi Ste,
I'd just like to say that this is one of the best pieces of science writing I've read in a very long time! Nice one!
Otto
*applauds*
scaryfish Posted Jul 19, 2002
Yeah, I agree. Well done!
It's really fascinating how such a fundamental concept to Biology - the definition of a species - can be so hard to, well, define.
And there's always ring-species to defeat the reproductive isolation definition (If you don't know, which you probably do, that's where each population can breed with it's neighbours, but the "end" populations can't breed with each other)
There's a species of frog - Hodgsetters I think is its common name - here in NZ that exists on two islands. Originally they thought it was one species, then they decided that each island's population is a seperate species, and now due to mitochondrial DNA evidence, they've decided it is one species again. My guess is it's somewhere inbetween - one species in the process of diverging.
Anyway, great article!
=) 
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