FreeLists / tn-bird / [TN-Bird] [Fwd: "it's how you played the game"]

[Raincrow <raincrow@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Truer words on speciation have seldom been spoken. Just look at the
constant flux of genetic material, transported, exchanged, and
introduced freely by myriad viruses and bacteria (as well as our
apparent ability to import, incorporate, and express bare DNA off
environmental surfaces, a subject with which I've just now made the
barest acquaintence) -- within certain constraints, we are genetically
open systems, and trying to discern where one species ends and another
begins becomes very messy. 

Ah, but heated argument and very firm notions are perhaps the essence of
taxonomy...

Liz Singley
Kingston TN




-------- Original Message --------
Subject: [TN-Bird] "it's how you played the game"
Date: Sat, 1 Mar 2003 21:41:37 -0500
From: "Wallace Coffey" <jwcoffey@xxxxxxxxxx>
Reply-To: jwcoffey@xxxxxxxxxx
To: <tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>


TN-Birders:
The next time you are ready to tic a new species 
for your life list, think about this statement:

Friday, 28 February 2003:

"Of course, species concepts apply to
populations and not to individuals," 

Carlos Daniel Cadena O.
Department of Biology
University of Missouri-St.Louis
8001 Natural Bridge Road
St. Louis, MO 63121-4499
--------------End Forward---------------------

So one question might be:  Did you see
an individual of a species or did you
see an individual represenative of a
species?  Can you say you have seen
the species if you haven't seen it's 
entire population (just for fun) :-)  ??
Did you see an individual that you
thought could be assigned to a species?

We have taken all of this at face value
for a long time.  

I'm sure it doesn't make much difference.
If we call a particular individual a species
and that what we put on our life lists as
a species, that's all that matters.

After all,  we make up our own rules for
how to play the game (ABA) or each person
does so on their own.

Some don't play the game -- they don't keep
life lists or any other lists.  

Mercy! 

Wallace Coffey
Bristol, TN






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=================NOTES TO SUBSCRIBER=====================

The TN-Bird Net requires you to sign your messages with
first and last name, city (town) and state abbreviation.
-----------------------------------------------------
To post to this mailing list, simply send email to:
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To unsubscribe, send email to:
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with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject field.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Topographical Maps located at http://topozone.com/find.asp
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
     Visit the Tennessee Ornithological Society
          web site at http://www.tnbirds.org
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
    TN-Bird Net Owner: Wallace Coffey, Bristol, TN
        jwcoffey@xxxxxxxxxx      (423) 764-3958
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