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| Are you a lumper or a splitter?; A question of taxonomy | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Feb 21 2012, 08:22 AM (1,295 Views) | |
| Sicilianu | Feb 21 2012, 08:22 AM Post #1 |
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Omnivore
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Hello everyone. I am not sure how much interest this thread will create, but I think the question of "lumping" or "splitting" as they are commonly referred to is important for both scientific classification and conservation. Let me explain this to those who may not be familiar with the terms. Often times this question revolves around the species level of taxonomy, but it can also work its way up the tree of life. I will use an example. The kit fox and the swift fox of North America have been considered the same species, unique subspecies of which was named first (this is a taxonomic "law"), or separate species. Those who would separate them would be called "splitters," while those who would have them be the same species, for instance, would be "lumpers." So which are you? I personally lean more towards splitting. I think it produces better results in conservation, and I think most species concepts are artificial anyway. It makes more sense in my mind to protect the genetic diversity that exists, muddying the waters for ease of dealing with the problem. Edited by Sicilianu, Feb 21 2012, 08:22 AM.
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| Rodentsofunusualsize | Feb 21 2012, 09:10 AM Post #2 |
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cogcaptainduck
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I'm definitely a splitter. |
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| Sicilianu | Feb 21 2012, 01:19 PM Post #3 |
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Omnivore
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Yes to me splitting is the intuitive answer, but some people, such as a particular blogger I follow, consistently lump. |
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| JaM | Mar 20 2012, 09:05 PM Post #4 |
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Heterotrophic Organism
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It depends on the animals in question. For BOP I'm a definite lumper, I think most of them should be one subfamily, and that the lammergeier should be considered an eagle, not a vulture. There has been cross breeding between species in Buteoninae and Aquilinae, so they should be merged. Even some of the genera should be merged, imo. However, in other cases I think a split is in the order, such as between falcons and hawks, as they're not really related. I don't have much of an opinion on this, except I've noticed the very arbitrary classification of BOP, which is based on some superficial features and in some cases, lifestyles, rather than actual relation - it should ALWAYS be a matter of relation. Edited by JaM, Mar 20 2012, 09:12 PM.
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| Mesopredator | Feb 13 2018, 04:45 PM Post #5 |
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Disaster taxa
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I both lump and split. Red wolves did not get enough protection because they weren't considered a full species, so thus I support splitting. On the other hand, the boundaries between coyote, wolf, dog and red wolf and so on - when talking of North-America - are not clear to me. I'm visualising a new way of catagorizing species. Local adaptation defininately exist, to get back at wolves; clearly there's different phenotypes. There's also variation between the subspecies themselves. I think both individual species, subspecies, hybrid species and species can have value. With wolf-dog hybrids individuals that cause trouble can be culled, however to kill wolf-dog hybrids for the sake of their origin seems, well... There's more and more research on genetic exchange between (sub)species and the importance of it in evolution. I understand that with dog influx people think that it is unnatural because culture and nature are seen as different worlds. Yet, in Europe jackal-wolf hybrids are also shot, a hybridization which seems to be fully natural. In botany hybridization is already acknowledged as a normal state. Anyway, that's what I think; and I want people to come to their own conclusions. |
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9:56 AM Jul 11