Application of Biological Species Concept - 3 Difficulties

10/07/2020 Application of Biological Species Concept: 3 Difficulties
Notes on Zoology
Application of
Biological Species
Concept: 3
Difficulties
Ar cle Shared by
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The following points highlight

the three most serious
difficulties faced in the
application of biological
species concept. The
difficulties are: 1. Insufficient
Information 2. Uniparental
Reproduction 3. Evolutionary
Intermediacy.
Difficult # 1. Insufficient
Information:
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Sexual dimorphism, age

differences, polymorphism and
other such types of variations often
give rise to doubts as to whether a
certain morphotype is a separate
species or only a phenon within a
variable population.
Proper studies of life-history,

population analysis etc. can
unmask such doubts. However,
such difficulties are also faced by
the neontologists who normally
work with preserved material and
by the paleontologists who also
must assign phena to species.
Difficult # 2. Uniparental
Reproduction:
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Self-fertilization, parthenogenesis,
pseudogamy, vegetative
reproduction, are some forms of
uniparental reproduction that do
not fulfill the criteria of
interbreeding. As per definition, a
population is an interbreeding
group, and, therefore, the term
population in “an asexual
biological population” is a
contradiction.

The biological species concept

based on the presence or absence
of interbreeding between
populations is, therefore,
inappropriate for uniparental
reproducing organisms.
How to solve this dilemma has

been discussed by Simpson (1961)
and by Mayr (1963). Fortunately,
there are usually well-defined
morphological discontinuities
among kinds of uni-parentally
reproducing organisms. These
discontinuities are apparently
produced by natural selection
among the various mutants, which
occur in the asexual clones.
It is customary to utilise the

existence of such discontinuities,
and the amount of morphological
difference among them, to delimit
species among uni-parentally
reproducing types. Species
recognition among asexual
organisms is based not merely on
analogy but also on the fact that
each of the morphological entities,
separated by a gap from other
similar entities, seems to occupy an
ecological niche of its own—it plays
its own evolutionary role.
Difficult # 3. Evolutionary
Intermediacy:
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It is important for a taxonomist to

have a thorough knowledge of all
stages of differentiation between
the individual variant and the well-
characterised distinct biological
species. Many species pass through
intermediate stages like biotypes,
races, subspecies, ecotypes or
semi-species.
In such incipient speciation,

populations will be found which
are in the process of becoming
separate species and have acquired
some but not yet all of the
attributes of distinct species. The
taxonomist, thus, may encounter
various difficulties which may
result from such evolutionary
intermediacy.
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These are:
(a) Acquiring of reproductive

isolation without sufficient
morphological changes:

Sibling species pose greatest

problems to a taxonomist as these
species — although having
acquired reproductive isolation —
are feebly or not at all separated
morphologically.
(b) Acquiring strong

morphological differences
without reproductive
isolation:
It is undoubtedly inappropriate to
call all morphologically distinct
population a species. On the other
hand, the isolating mechanisms
between any two species may
occasionally break down. No
generalized solution is possible
when morphological divergence
and acquisition of reproductive
isolation do not coincide. In these
cases, the specialist should delimit
his species in such a way that they
form biologically meaningful,
natural entities.
(c) Hybrid complexes:
The occasional breakdown of

reproductive isolation may occur
even between good species. This,
most frequently lead only to the
production of hybrids. Such

hybrids are either sterile or of
lowered viability and, therefore,
this may not cause any taxonomic
difficulties.
Sometimes, hybrid individuals are

described as species before their
hybrid nature is discovered. Such
names lose their validity as soon as
the hybridism is established. Only
populations are recognised as taxa
and hybrid individuals are not
populations.
Two types of hybridization

generally take place:
ADVERTISEMENTS:
(i) Sympatric Hybridization:
When two parental species

maintain their genetic integrity
over a more or less wide area in
which they occur together, it is
advisable to uphold their biological
species status even though in a
portion of their ranges there is a
breakdown of the isolation. No
taxonomic recognition is given to
hybrid populations that result from
such a local breakdown of
reproductive isolation.
(ii) Amphiploidy:
Hybridism in plants may lead to

the instantaneous production of an
allopolyploid — an individual that
combines the chromosome sets in
two parental species. Such hybrids
may give rise by uniparental
reproduction to a new population
that is reproductively isolated from
both parents, and behaves like a
new species if it is able to
reproduce and, by occupying a new
ecological niche, is able to compete
with other species (including the
parents).
(d) Semi-species:
Geographical isolates occasionally

have intermediates between
subspecies and species, often
referred to as semi-species. On the
basis of certain criteria they would
be considered species; on the basis
of others, they would not. It is,
therefore, convenient for
taxonomists to attach such
doubtful populations (as
subspecies) to the species with
which they are most nearly allied.

In some cases, the isolates have

probably reached the species level
but have remained members of a
super-species. Such populations
are often referred to as allospecies.
Other instances of evolutionary
intermediacy are the circular
overlaps and other borderline
cases.
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10/07/2020 Application of Biological Species Concept: 3 Difficulties

The following points highlight

Sexual dimorphism, age

Proper studies of life-history,

https://www.notesonzoology.com/taxonomy/application-of-biological-species-concept-3-difficulties/4136#:~:text=The following points highlight the thre… 2/11

The biological species concept

How to solve this dilemma has

It is customary to utilise the

It is important for a taxonomist to

In such incipient speciation,

(a) Acquiring of reproductive

https://www.notesonzoology.com/taxonomy/application-of-biological-species-concept-3-difficulties/4136#:~:text=The following points highlight the thre… 4/11

Sibling species pose greatest

(b) Acquiring strong

(c) Hybrid complexes:

The occasional breakdown of

production of hybrids. Such

Sometimes, hybrid individuals are

Two types of hybridization

(i) Sympatric Hybridization:

When two parental species

Hybridism in plants may lead to

Geographical isolates occasionally

https://www.notesonzoology.com/taxonomy/application-of-biological-species-concept-3-difficulties/4136#:~:text=The following points highlight the thre… 7/11

In some cases, the isolates have

https://www.notesonzoology.com/taxonomy/application-of-biological-species-concept-3-difficulties/4136#:~:text=The following points highlight the thre… 8/11

https://www.notesonzoology.com/taxonomy/application-of-biological-species-concept-3-difficulties/4136#:~:text=The following points highlight the thre… 9/11

https://www.notesonzoology.com/taxonomy/application-of-biological-species-concept-3-difficulties/4136#:~:text=The following points highlight the thr… 11/11

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