Species Concepts in Biology - Historical Development, Theoretical Foundations and Practical Relevance

Frank E. Zachos offers a comprehensive review of one of today's most important and contentious issues in biology: the species problem. After setting the stage with key background information on the topic, the book provides a brief history of species concepts from antiquity to the Modern Synthesis, followed by a discussion of the ontological status of species with a focus on the individuality thesis and potential means of reconciling it with other philosophical approaches.
More than 30 different species concepts found in the literature are presented in an annotated list, and the most important ones, including the Biological, Genetic, Evolutionary and different versions of the Phylogenetic Species Concept, are discussed in more detail. Specific questions addressed include the problem of asexual and prokaryotic species, intraspecific categories like subspecies and Evolutionarily Significant Units, and a potential solution to the species problem based on a hierarchical approach thatdistinguishes between ontological and operational species concepts. A full chapter is dedicated to the challenge of delimiting species by means of a discrete taxonomy in a continuous world of inherently fuzzy boundaries. Further, the book outlines the practical ramifications for ecology and evolutionary biology of how we define the species category, highlighting the danger of an apples and oranges problem if what we subsume under the same name ("species") is in actuality a variety of different entities.
A succinct summary chapter, glossary and annotated list of references round out the coverage, making the book essential reading for all biologists looking for an accessible introduction to the historical, philosophical and practical dimensions of the species problem.

List of contents

Introduction to the species problem.- A brief history of species concepts and the species problem.- The metaphysics, or ontology, of species: classes, natural kinds or invidivuals?-An annotated list of species concepts.- Species concepts and beyond - selected topics relating to the species problem.-      Species delimitation: discrete names in a continuous world with fuzzy boundaries.- The practical relevance of species concepts and the species problem.- A brief summary of the book.- Glossary.- References.- Index.

About the author

Priv.-Doz. Dr. habil. Frank E. Zachos
Natural History Museum Vienna
Mammal Collection
Burgring 7
1010 Vienna, Austria
Tel. [phone]
Fax [phone]
[e-mail]

Summary

Frank E. Zachos offers a comprehensive review of one of today’s most important and contentious issues in biology: the species problem. After setting the stage with key background information on the topic, the book provides a brief history of species concepts from antiquity to the Modern Synthesis, followed by a discussion of the ontological status of species with a focus on the individuality thesis and potential means of reconciling it with other philosophical approaches.
More than 30 different species concepts found in the literature are presented in an annotated list, and the most important ones, including the Biological, Genetic, Evolutionary and different versions of the Phylogenetic Species Concept, are discussed in more detail. Specific questions addressed include the problem of asexual and prokaryotic species, intraspecific categories like subspecies and Evolutionarily Significant Units, and a potential solution to the species problem based on a hierarchical approach thatdistinguishes between ontological and operational species concepts. A full chapter is dedicated to the challenge of delimiting species by means of a discrete taxonomy in a continuous world of inherently fuzzy boundaries. Further, the book outlines the practical ramifications for ecology and evolutionary biology of how we define the species category, highlighting the danger of an apples and oranges problem if what we subsume under the same name (“species”) is in actuality a variety of different entities.
A succinct summary chapter, glossary and annotated list of references round out the coverage, making the book essential reading for all biologists looking for an accessible introduction to the historical, philosophical and practical dimensions of the species problem.

Additional text

“Species Concepts in Biology is an efficient and effective book that neatly summarizes several centuries of progress on the species problem. Impressively, it is also a good read.” (Bryan C. Carstens, The Quarterly Review of Biology, Vol. 93 (1), March, 2018)

“Zachos is primarily a biologist rather than a philosopher, and so he has tried to write a book for biologists about a biological topic but with a philosophical flavor. He has certainly succeeded at this. … As biologists, we impose species boundaries and phylogenetic trees onto this fuzziness, and then we write an apparently endless series of books about it. Zachos’ book is one of the better ones, especially as an introduction to the topic … .” (David A. Morrison, Systematic Biology, February, 2017)

“The book … gives an excellent overview on the historical, philosophical and practical aspects of what is usually called ‘the species problem’. It is a book that I fully recommend for everyone dealingwith the species concept, as students, taxonomists or philosophers. … the compact overview presented by Frank Zachos is among the best compilations I read and I fully recommend it to all those who want to learn about species and their own views on it.” (Nikolaus U. Szucsich, Annalen des Naturhistorischen Museums in Wien, Vol. 119, January, 2017)

Report

"Species Concepts in Biology is an efficient and effective book that neatly summarizes several centuries of progress on the species problem. Impressively, it is also a good read." (Bryan C. Carstens, The Quarterly Review of Biology, Vol. 93 (1), March, 2018)

"Zachos is primarily a biologist rather than a philosopher, and so he has tried to write a book for biologists about a biological topic but with a philosophical flavor. He has certainly succeeded at this. ... As biologists, we impose species boundaries and phylogenetic trees onto this fuzziness, and then we write an apparently endless series of books about it. Zachos' book is one of the better ones, especially as an introduction to the topic ... ." (David A. Morrison, Systematic Biology, February, 2017)

"The book ... gives an excellent overview on the historical, philosophical and practical aspects of what is usually called 'the species problem'. It is a book that I fully recommend for everyone dealingwith the species concept, as students, taxonomists or philosophers. ... the compact overview presented by Frank Zachos is among the best compilations I read and I fully recommend it to all those who want to learn about species and their own views on it." (Nikolaus U. Szucsich, Annalen des Naturhistorischen Museums in Wien, Vol. 119, January, 2017)

Product details

• Authors: Frank E Zachos, Frank E. Zachos
• Publisher: Springer, Berlin
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 01.01.2018
• EAN: 9783319831732
• ISBN: 978-3-31-983173-2
• No. of pages: 220
• Dimensions: 153 mm x 235 mm x 14 mm
• Weight: 375 g
• Illustrations: XII, 220 p. 5 illus., 1 illus. in color.
• Subjects: Natural sciences, medicine, IT, technology > Biology > Ecology; B, Evolution, Environment, Philosophy, The environment, Biodiversity, Biology, life sciences, Evolutionary Biology, Biomedical and Life Sciences, Environmental Sciences, Environment, general, Philosophy of Biology, Biology—Philosophy