Question

Distinguish between morphological, phylogenetic, and biological species concepts. What are the advantages and disadvantages of each? What notion is common to each of the species definitions that we considered? Why do species definitions matter in conservation biology?

Answer 1

Biological species concept includes organisms which can reproduce and produce offsprings while morphological species concept describes species based on their morphological features i.e.. physical features and phylogenetic species concept describes species that are evolutionary related.

Advantage of Biological species concept:

Appropriate to various environmental studies.

Disadvantage:

Is not applicable for the species which can breed asexually.

Advantage of Morphological species concept:

Simple and easy method as morphology can be easily determined.

Disadvantages:

Long before even the male and female of same species were classified as different species since physical features are subjective.

Advantages of phylogenetic species concept:

Can be applied even for vanished species.

Not based on assumptions relies on data for information.

Disadvantage:

Phylogenetic histories are not known for many species.

Divergence leads to speciation is the notion common to each.

Conservation is nothing but preventing species from extinction.To know which organism needs help, which food it will eat, to which animal it is vulnerable we should know the definition of species.