After DQP and Ockham, two more principles (from the birds)

[Bob Parcelles,Jr.]

--- "Chris J. Durden" <drdn at mail.utexas.edu> wrote:
> For me the difference in habitat preference, implying difference of
> niche 
> is significant. I would favor specific distinction for this pair,
> pending 
> information indicating otherwise.
>     Then I tend to be a splitter in practice. To me the concept of 
> "conservative" implies conservation of information. Split data may
> always 
> be later lumped. Lumped data cannot be split, but the work must be
> done 
> over. Of course no damage is done if the two are considered merely 
> subspecies. This too is conservative. The truly radical approach is
> to do 
> away with subspecies and a large portion of data that goes along
> with it. I 
> prefer to be a conservative splitter.
> ..................Chris Durden
> 
> At 11:11 PM 2/13/2002 -0500,  Gochfeld wrote:
> 
> - - -
> 
> >In 1999 Klicka et al. (a group of five authors from UNLV, Bell
> Museum
> >(Minn), Royal Ontario Mus, Alberta Mus (Edmonton), and a National
> >Wildlife Refuge) proposed that an isolated population of sparrows
> from
> >Yukon and BC, previously considered to be a subspecies of Brewer's
> >Sparrow (Spizella breweri), was actually a distinct species (S.
> >taverneri) which they called the Timberline Sparrow.  I remember
> reading
> >at the time that the habitat and altitude were distinctive, the
> voice
> >different, and the molecular data supported divergence sufficient
> to
> >convince them (and the referees), but not me,  that it was a
> species.


As an ornithologist that is my viewpoint precisely. Can we apply the
same standards to leps? I know we should, but it seems hard to work
on allopatry and sympatry with butterflys and moths.

bob


=====
Bob Parcelles, Jr
Pinellas Park, FL
RJP Associates, C2M-BWPTi
rjparcelles at yahoo.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/naturepotpourri
"Change your thoughts and you change your world."
- Norman Vincent Peale

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