subspecies, another 'spin'

[Kondla, Norbert FOR:EX]

lotsa fertile ground for pursuing subspecies concepts and applications from
biological/evolutionary/taxonomic perspectives. add to this the complication
caused by some legal definitions of a subspecies or even a population being
classed in the same basket as a species and things get really entertaining.
there are those who would argue that regardless of any scientific and
communication utilities associated with subspecies names, that there is
conservation utility attached to a subspecies name. i sometimes think that
subspecies have been deliberately described and named to enhance the success
of pursuing conservation actions. is this a 'valid' use of nomenclature?  i
dunno, and who has been empowered through democratic process to make such a
decision anyway? time will tell, regardless i too find communication value
in having some kind of name to use in referencing visibly different
organisms present in differing ecosystems/geographic areas, regardless of
how they might fit into varying taxonomic concepts and rule sets
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Norbert Kondla  P.Biol., RPBio.
Forest Ecosystem Specialist, Ministry of Environment
845 Columbia Avenue, Castlegar, British Columbia V1N 1H3
Phone 250-365-8610
Mailto:Norbert.Kondla at gems3.gov.bc.ca
http://www.env.gov.bc.ca