Week 7 - What is a Species?

Question 1

What is taxonomy, who invented it?

Answer 1

science of naming organizing organisms into related groups

Linnaeus

Question 2

How does a species get its binomial name?

Answer 2

1. rule of priority: once a species a given a name, the name cannot be changed, unless the organism is not a new species
2. new species must be described in a peer reviewed article: most designate a holotype and must include a list of characteristics or a combination of characteristics that makes the new species unique

Question 3

What is a holotype specimen?

Answer 3

physical example of a new species

Question 4

What are sources of intraspecific variation?

Answer 4

1. sexual dimorphism
2. ontogenetic variation
3. individual variation
4. taphonomic variation

Question 5

What is the biological species concept? What are some limits?

Answer 5

species = group of organisms that can successfully interbreed

limits:
- cannot be applied to organisms that reproduce asexually
- cannot be applied to extinct organisms

Question 6

What species concept do paleontologists rely on, how does it define a species, what are some limits?

Answer 6

morphological species concept: species = group of organisms that share a certain degree of physical similarity

limits:
- sexual dimorphism and ontogenetic changes can make applying the morphological species concept difficult, especially with the incompleteness of the fossil record

Question 7

What are lumpers and spilters?

Answer 7

lumpers = paleontologists who require more differences before they consider two species to be distinct

splitters = paleontologists who require fewer differences before they consider two species to be distinct

Question 8

How was Hesperonychus determined to be a unique species?

Answer 8

1. only found a partial pelvis
2. specimen had several unique features on the pelvis which was not seen on other dromaeosaurids
3. bones were lightly fused together –> full grown adult with a small size
4. no differences in the pelvis seemed to have sex-specific functions
5. taphonomic deformation could not have produced the unique features