Species, Subspecies or Population?

Posted by Dawn M. Smith Feb 10, 2008

I started a series of articles on the 10 new species found in the Amazon rainforest. On first read of the information on the new species it seemed an exciting find. Following up on the dwarf manatee in more detail, questions began to arise.

How could so many new species of mammals have remained undiscovered? Who is Dr Roosmalen? With further research it became clear that Marc Roosmalen was a respected scientist. What wasn’t clear, and still isn’t to me, is whether he has abandoned the scientific method in his effort to ‘prove’ that his species are new.

Good science starts with something called the Null Hypothesis. This means that when working on a theory you must attempt to prove yourself wrong. If you are unable to do so you MIGHT be right. This is much harder to do than to prove yourself right.

So, based on whether the Null Hypothesis has been properly applied, the so- called new species may not be new. Some may be subspecies-groups of animals isolated by environment but sharing enough genetic and physical similarity to be of the same species yet slightly unique. Some may simply be subpopulations-again isolation may play a key role in their differences but they may be members of an already established species. And some may truly be new species.

As we continue to examine these Amazon rainforest mammals, it will be important to review input from other scientists and keep the Null Hypothesis in mind. At the same time its good to remember that this work is bringing Amazon rainforest issues into the forefront, which can only be a good thing.