The Species Concept

Dr Frank Emmanuel Zachos, Natural History Museum, Vienna Austria

Date: Wednesday, the 8th of November 2017, Cent Lecture Theatre 0142

The species problem is one of the most passionately discussed, but also one of the most exhausting topics in biology. Rather than discuss the 34 or so different species concepts in detail, I will highlight some recent conceptual advances, emphasize the fact that the term “species” is used to denote different things and, most importantly, present evidence that the way we define the species category and delimit species taxa has consequences not just for taxonomy and systematics, but also for ecology and evolutionary biology more generally and for conservation biology and environmental policy as well. These ramifications, whose relevance cannot be overestimated, are much less often targeted than theoretical or philosophical issues of the species problem, although they arguably represent one of the most pressing dilemmas in biology.

How to get there: After entering CeNT, you will find  the lecture theatre 0142 ~15 meters to the right