Re: Hierarchal vs Non-Hierarchal Interfaces to Biological Taxonomy
From: Bob Badour <bbadour_at_pei.sympatico.ca>
Date: Fri, 22 Dec 2006 21:17:34 GMT
Message-ID: <OXXih.36387$cz.535949_at_ursa-nb00s0.nbnet.nb.ca>
>
> There's lots of species like that -- it's called a ring
> species. I think it's the salamander where every subspecies
> but two can interbreed.
>
> An interesting question is when you have subspecies A, B & C,
> where A & C cannot interbreed, and B goes extinct, do you now
> have two distinct species?
Date: Fri, 22 Dec 2006 21:17:34 GMT
Message-ID: <OXXih.36387$cz.535949_at_ursa-nb00s0.nbnet.nb.ca>
Larry Coon wrote:
>>Which common bird is it that has three cohorts A, B and C where A and B >>can interbreed, B and C can interbreed but A and C cannot? Is it the robin?
>
> There's lots of species like that -- it's called a ring
> species. I think it's the salamander where every subspecies
> but two can interbreed.
>
> An interesting question is when you have subspecies A, B & C,
> where A & C cannot interbreed, and B goes extinct, do you now
> have two distinct species?
Which opens the floor to: "How many species did you have before B went extinct?"
Does anyone consider the horse and the donkey the same species? Received on Fri Dec 22 2006 - 22:17:34 CET