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The circular definition of populations and its implications for biological sampling
Author(s) -
HARWOOD THOMAS D.
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
molecular ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.619
H-Index - 225
eISSN - 1365-294X
pISSN - 0962-1083
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-294x.2008.04066.x
Subject(s) - population , biology , range (aeronautics) , census , sampling (signal processing) , sample (material) , ecology , field (mathematics) , evolutionary biology , demography , mathematics , computer science , sociology , chemistry , materials science , chromatography , pure mathematics , composite material , computer vision , filter (signal processing)
Application of population‐based theoretical models to the study of real world populations requires the relationship between the real and theoretical populations to be defined. Otherwise, it is not possible to take a representative field sample or census of a population. I demonstrate that the concept of a biological population is based on a circular definition and is logically untenable. A population is composed of a number of individuals whose membership of the population is determined by their relationship to the rest of the population. This has serious implications for common practice in a range of ecological and evolutionary disciplines.