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Below is my response to your questionaire.
QUESTIONNAIRE
1. Do you consider yourself to be a(n)?
a) Phylogeneticist
b) Evolutionary Systematist
c) Neither of the above
Answer: __B_____ If c), please list method ----___________
2. Given only three choices, which definition of a species (extinct or extant) would you most likely agree with?
a) Biological Species Concept
b) Phylogenetic Species Concept
c) Evolutionary Species Concept
d) None of the above
Answer: __C__ If d), please list definition and/or reference ______________
3. Do you think your choice for the above question can be used with extant organisms as well as the fossil record? Yes/No/Unsure ___Yes, to some degree, although when working with fossils I am more apt to use a phenetic species concept because the data are more limited.
4. Do you think the level of classification of taxa should be dependant on their temporal span? Yes/No/Unsure __NO______
5. Is the use of the above method of classification (Re. Question 1) necessary in your day-to-day research? Yes or No ___No, I thought it would be and spend years reading and studying about species concepts and their application, but over time I found that no single concept was that necessary in practice and it was more useful to study my organisms and learn about their biology, ecology, distribution, etc., than to worry about exactly what species concept I was using.
6. Do you think these methods of classification are mutually exclusive? Yes or No __No, I think each gives you a different way to look at your group of organisms and so examine the data from different viewpoints. I use numerical taxonomy, multivariate statistics, cladistics as tools to study my group and data sets.
7. Please state your field of research: (e.g. wildlife biology, genetics, wildlife conservation, botany, paleontology, anthropology, etc.) _____Botany & Paleobotany_________
8. If you instruct and train any students, which method do you recognize and apply? Or, if you are a student, which methods are employed? _____When I have instructed students, either undergraduate or graduate I have presented all methods and try to point out the strengths and weaknesses of each and reinforce that it is up to them to decide which is best to apply to their data and organisms.
9. What country are you working in and/or where are you based (optional)? ______U.S.A.________
10. Would you like to receive the results from this survey? Yes or No__Yes_______
Richard Lis, Ph.D.
Environmental Scientist, Botanist
Habitat Conservation Planning -- Cantara Program
Northern California North Coast Region
California Department of Fish and Game
2440 Athens Avenue
Redding, California 96001
Telephone: 530-225-2142
Fax: 530-225-2267
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Somewhere along the way here I've definitely missed something.
It is sufficiently vexing that resolution will require that I determine my own ignorance.
Partial index: