Re:Are Domestic and Wild Salmon Still the Same Species?
by Turing_Machine on Friday November 27, 2015 @01:37PM
(#10638309)
There are even not-uncommon situations where Population A can breed with Population B, and Population B can breed with Population C, but Population A and Population C can't interbreed.
Using "can breed" as the metric for "same species" creates the situation where A and B are the same species, and B and C are the same species, but A and C are not. That's clearly contrary to what most people have in mind when they use the word "species".
Species really should be a continuum rather than a binary.
Using "can breed" as the metric for "same species" creates the situation where A and B are the same species, and B and C are the same species, but A and C are not. That's clearly contrary to what most people have in mind when they use the word "species".
Species really should be a continuum rather than a binary.