1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910829974503321

Autore

Kunz Werner <1940->

Titolo

Do species exist? [[electronic resource] ] : principles of taxonomic classification / / Werner Kunz

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Weinheim, Germany, : Wiley-Blackwell, c2012

ISBN

3-527-66426-2

3-527-66428-9

3-527-66425-4

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (281 p.)

Disciplina

576.86

578.012

Soggetti

Species - Philosophy

Biology - Philosophy

Biodiversity - Philosophy

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

Description based upon print version of record.

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references (p. 219-227) and index.

Nota di contenuto

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.

Sommario/riassunto

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.