Do we need to a better concept than species?

Hi everyone!This is my first post to EvC, although I've been a lurker for quite a long time. Maybe I'll start with a few words about myself to let you know "where I'm coming from": I am a research scientist (biologist) by profession (virology, immunology) and deal with the evolution of viruses (HIV) in response to immune pressure on a daily basis. My interest in evolution in general is purely for fun, however, so my knowledge of the field overall is no better than that of anyone else who devours the popular works of Dawkins, Gould etc and spends far too much time here or at Talk.Origins. I am also an atheist (of the Dawkins persuasion) who, while respecting the right of anyone to believe what they want (as long as this does no harm) does not necessarily respect the beliefs themselves.My first question here is more of a biological nature, and probably belongs in "Biological Evolution". I would like to know what the others think about the following:I suppose most of us would agree that the concept of a species is really a convenient label used by our 'discontinous' human brains to pigoenhole something which does not actually exist in reality. Even the basic concept of an 'isolated gene pool' doesn't specify whether the isolation is due to a real genetic incompatibility or to environmental/behavioural/temporal differences which prevent a mixing of the genes. This is all well and good, because most of us know that there is a continuous gradation from one species to another and that there is no sharp cutoff dividing one species from another. The problem, as I see it, arises when we make claims for observing speciation events, because this requires a precise definition of what a species is, a difficult and fuzzy thing to do with two very closely related populations. Observations of 'macroevolution' are therefore an easy target for creationists because even the scientists cannot seem to precisely agree about what constitutes a species. I just wonder whether we might be better off dropping the concept of a species, although I can't for the life of me think of anything better. Damn this discontinuous mind!I assume this problem has been addressed ad infinitum by those who work in the field of evolutionary biology, and I would like to know what the current thinking is.Thanks in advance.SteveN

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