Questions on the classification of biological organisms, and the methods used for classifying them.
12
votes
3answers
693 views
When has an organism evolved enough to be called a new species?
Imagine that we take a population of horses, split them in half and place them in completely different environments. The two species will evolve separate from each other and because the environment is ...
11
votes
2answers
117 views
How to decide which is the correct scientific name for a particular species
To start with, I am not a person having sound knowledge in biology. When I started my search for phyto-chemicals in a particular family in the plant kingdom, I got confused. The scientific papers use ...
9
votes
2answers
120 views
Acknowledging differentiation of species, in historical times
This is at least partly an historical question, and I am not even remotely a biologist of any sort, so apologies beforehand if it's a little obscure.
I often wonder how many distinctions were made in ...
9
votes
3answers
607 views
Species with reproduction barriers that can both reproduce with a third species
To start with, I do not have a sound knowledge in biology or any formal education in the area.
I was told that one of the definition of a species is a reproductive barrier, which means that if two ...
9
votes
1answer
76 views
To which distinctions does the term “hymenoptera” refer?
Hymenoptera is an order of insects that includes bees, ants, and wasps. A quick search gives the following etymological analysis of the term hymenoptera.
hymen (membrane) + pteron (wing)
Does ...
9
votes
1answer
116 views
Is it correct to regard archeaic humans (i.e.n Neanderthals and Denisovans) as distinct species to Homo sapiens?
There is increasing evidence (e.g. here) that Homo sapiens interbred with contemporary homonins such as Homo neanderthalensis and the "Denisovans". Although these homonins do show differences in their ...
8
votes
1answer
312 views
Does the use of “var”, “x”, and/or “ssp” in a scientific name provide specific information?
What exactly does it mean when a plant has a scientific name that specifies a vairety, for example Nothofagus solandri var. cliffortioides, or when the name includes an "x", as in Populus ...
7
votes
1answer
80 views
On which date did the official name change of Lactobacillus sanfranciscensis change?
When did the change of official name from Lactobacillus sanfrancisco to Lactobacillus sanfranciscensis happen? An answer ((to the exact day OR within a few days) AND the name of the conference at ...
6
votes
3answers
156 views
Where can I find the common names for the zoology taxonomy?
Forgive me if my question does not belong here or if I'm using incorrect terms, but I'm not educated in biology at all. I'm investigating the workings of the biological classification system.
I was ...
6
votes
2answers
314 views
Why animals can move and plants cannot in general?
To clarify, I think the answer should be able to explain:
What are animals?
What are plants?
What's the difference between animals and plants (How do biologists differentiate them, if they ...
6
votes
0answers
99 views
Could someone recommend a book for surveying species?
I'm trying to get/renew basic knowledge of species. Could someone recommend a book for surveying "important"/"representational" species? I am looking for a book with good illustrations and that covers ...
5
votes
2answers
189 views
What does the 34/70 in Saccharomyces pastorianus Weihenstephan 34/70 stand for?
I've searched everywhere.
No Wikipedia page.
No information on NCBI.
I searched all occurrences of 34/70 in some primary research articles!
The best I've found is this brewery forum where someone ...
5
votes
1answer
116 views
Is sexual reproduction outside the same biological family possible? Ever successfully occured?
Is there an example of two species taxonomically classified in different biological families sucessfully sexually reproducing viable offspring? If not, is there an example of where reproduction ...
5
votes
1answer
305 views
What's the opposite of a thermophile?
Thermophiles, heat-loving organisms, have been a popular topic of research for decades due in large part to the utility of their enzymes in various chemical reactions (Taq Pol single-enzymedly made ...
4
votes
1answer
80 views
If life is discovered on another planet, will it likely be classified using the current domain/kingdom/phylum system?
This may be a stupid question showing my lack of understanding of taxonomy, but I was wondering if the current classification system we use contains broad enough categories to include new life forms, ...
3
votes
1answer
453 views
Online course on Plant Taxonomy and Physiology
After following a course in Permaculture, I realised that if I want to get serious about it, I need to be able to distinguish plants. So I am looking for an online Video course on Plant Taxonomy and ...
3
votes
1answer
67 views
An unexpected mushroom in my garden
My grandma is a great fan of mushrooms and knows quite a lot about them. About 10 years ago, she started throwing out mushroom remnants in one special place, in order to grow her own mushrooms. In ...
2
votes
1answer
318 views
Why are bacteria and archaea in different domains?
As I understand it, the main difference between the Bacteria and the Eucaryota domains are that eukaryotes have a nucleus and bacteria don't. I understand that bacteria and archaebacteria have enough ...
2
votes
1answer
49 views
2
votes
1answer
86 views
What is the species of these mushrooms?
The mushrooms are gilled with a light-brown cap. The stem is widened to the base.
What species is it? Is it considered edible?
They are found in mixed forest in Moscow, Russia. They grow in the ...
1
vote
2answers
209 views
What is the most complex plant form?
At school we were told on scale of 0 through 1000 the animal kingdom ranges from amoeba the simplest/primitive being at 0, and Humans the most complex animals at 1000; what are the equivalent ...
1
vote
1answer
47 views
Why is a slow worm not considered a snake?
Slow worms are considered lizards as opposed to snakes, both are reptiles. Now I get that there are traits that distinguish them (eye lids, ears ...). But snake species themselves vary already quite a ...
-3
votes
1answer
201 views
Which plants live for more than one year and less than two years? [closed]
What kinds of plants live for more than one year and less than two years? Are there any categorical or taxonomical names for such plants?
