Part 2: Species Concepts

Q: What is the Typological Species Concept?

A: Pre-Darwinian idea: God created perfect “types”; variation = imperfection. Species viewed as fixed

Q: What is the Biological Species Concept (Mayr, 1963)?

A: Species = groups of naturally interbreeding populations that are reproductively isolated from others

Q: What is the Morphological Species Concept?

A: Species defined by consistent morphological traits (“morphospecies”); widely used in paleontology

Q: What is the Paleontological Species Concept?

A: Fossil populations that are morphologically distinct and recognizable by competent paleontologists

Q: What is the Ecological Species Concept?

A: No two species occupy the same niche; overlaps with biological species concept

Q: What are sibling species?

A: Morphologically similar but reproductively isolated species (hard to detect in fossils)

Q: What is the Evolutionary Species Concept (Simpson, 1961)?

A: A lineage evolving separately, with its own role and tendencies

Q: What are form species?

A: Named from distinct parts of an organism (e.g., tree leaves vs. seeds, conodont teeth)