Borderline conscious creatures are neither definitely conscious nor definitely not conscious. In this thesis, I explain what borderline consciousness is and why it poses a significant epistemological challenge to scientists who investigate phenomenal consciousness as a natural kind. When these scientists discover more than one overlapping kind in their samples of conscious creatures, how can they identify the kind to which all and only conscious creatures belong? After assessing three pessimistic responses, I argue that different groups of scientists can legitimately use the concept of phenomenal consciousness to refer to different kinds, in accord with their empirical interests. They can thereby resolve three related impasses on the status of borderline conscious creatures, the neural structure of phenomenal consciousness, and the possibility of artificial consciousness. The thesis has three parts: First, I analyse the concept of borderline consciousness. My analysis counters several arguments which conclude that borderline consciousness is inconceivable. Then I explain how borderline consciousness produces the multiple kinds problem in consciousness science. Second, I assess three recent philosophical responses to this problem. One response urges scientists to eliminate the concept of consciousness, while another judges them to be irremediably ignorant of the nature of consciousness. The final response concludes that scientific progress is limited by the concept's referential indeterminacy. I argue that these responses are too pessimistic, though they point to a more promising approach. Third, I propose that empirically constrained stipulation can solve the multiple kinds problem. Biologists face the same problem because of their longstanding controversy over what counts as a species. Building on new arguments for stipulating the reference of species concepts, I demonstrate that this use of stipulation in biology is neither epistemologically complacent nor metaphysically capricious; it also need not sow semantic confusion. Then I defend its use in consciousness science. My approach is shown to be consistent with our understanding of natural kinds, borderline cases, and phenomenal consciousness.

TITLE: Identification Keys as a Way of Getting to Know the Nature AUTHOR: Petr Novotný DEPARTMENT: Biology and Environmental Studies Department SUPERVISOR: doc. PhDr. Petr Dostál, CSc. ABSTRACT: This doctoral thesis deals with biological identification keys. It aims to unify and clarify the terminology used to describe the identification keys, to describe the evolution of the concept of these keys and their typology. It describes their role and importance in education from the perspective of current didactic overview as well as from the perspective of Czech historical botanical keys. The aim of the research part is to design and validate methods for assessing identification keys. This research has been divided into two themes - the analysis of a key and the testing of a key. As the result of this processing is a design of identification keys evaluation model. This model is validated on the current Czech botanical designation key Kubát (2002). Based on thesis outcomes, it is possible to better understand the theoretical basis of identification keys and their role in the process of getting to know the nature. KEYWORDS: Theory of Identification Keys; Identification Keys Evaluation; Biological Species Cognition;

Master of Science / Department of Plant Pathology / Robert L. Bowden / John F. Leslie / Fusarium graminearum Schwabe sensu lato (teleomorph: Gibberella zeae (Schwein.) Petch), a homothallic ascomycete fungus, is the causal agent of Fusarium head blight (FHB) of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), and other small grains. FHB occurs worldwide and serious outbreaks have been reported in North America, South America, Asia, and Europe. According to the phylogenetic species concept (PSC), F. graminearum is composed of at least 15 phylogenetic lineages known as the Fusarium graminearum species complex. Although F. graminearum is homothallic, some members of different phylogenetic lineages are known to intercross in the laboratory. It has been suggested that F. graminearum sensu lato fits the biological species concept (BSC). According to the BSC, “species are groups of actually or potentially interbreeding natural populations, which are reproductively isolated from other such groups”. Previous reports of intercrossing were qualitative, so the degree of reproductive isolation, if any, is not clear. Since intrinsic reproductive isolation is the key criterion to identify species by the BSC, more detailed quantitative information is needed. Chromosome rearrangements between fungal strains may reduce fertility in sexual crosses through the production of genetically inviable recombinant progeny. As such, rearrangements can be important postzygotic reproductive barriers between species. Following methods used in Neurospora crassa, ascospore tetrads were analyzed for patterns of ascospore viability. Crosses were made with three lineage 7 (F. graminearum sensu stricto according to PSC) strains as female. Each female was a MAT1-2 knockout mutant that rendered it obligately heterothallic. Males were several members of lineages 6 (F. asiaticum according to PSC) and lineage 7. Crosses with lineage 7 males formed complete asci with 8 ascospores indicating that their genomes are isosequential with the testers. Crosses with one strain from lineage 6 with two known inversions produced asci containing 8, 6, and 4 ascospores, consistent with it not being isosequential. However, three other strains of lineage 6 appeared to be isosequential with the testers. Therefore, chromosome rearrangements did not appear to be common to strains of lineage 6 and probably do not contribute significantly to reproductive isolation of lineage 6 and lineage 7. Interlineage fertility studies with the three lineage 7 tester strains were performed to quantify interlineage fertility parameters including the total number of ascospores produced, perithecial density, and perithecium internal development scores. All lineage 7 female testers successfully crossed to all 23 male strains from lineages 1 to 9. For total ascospore production, one female tester crossed equally well with all lineages and the other two testers showed statistically significant differences for a few lineages. For perithecial density, there was a significantly lower density with all three testers when crossed with lineage 6, but the other lineages were not statistically different from lineage 7. For perithecial development, there was large variation for every lineage. Therefore, in the crosses with reduced fertility, the reduction can be attributed to a postzygotic effect since mature perithecia and asci developed. All of the tested lineages of the Fusarium graminearum species complex can produce viable progeny with F. graminearum lineage 7, which was the taxonomic type of the original species before it was split into phylogenetic species. There are a few examples of reduced fertility with two lineage 7 testers, the remaining tester crossed equally well with all lineages. Therefore members of lineages 1-9 all should be considered members of Fusarium graminearum according to the BSC. The existing female testers could be used to identify members of the F. graminearum clade by performing test crosses in the laboratory. The PSC and BSC species concepts do not agree for this group of fungi. This disagreement indicates that the F. graminearum species complex is in the early stages of speciation. The lack of intrinsic reproductive barriers supports the hypothesis that these lineages have developed in geographic isolation. As the lineages have apparently been brought together through global trade, interlineage hybrids have been reported in the field. The discrepancy between PSC and BSC will eventually be resolved by whether the lineages fuse or remain separate in nature. Even if the lineages remain separate, this study demonstrates the potential for gene flow between lineage 7 and lineages 1 through 9.

Le genre Rumina Risso, 1926 (Subulinidae) est constitué de gastéropodes terrestres, hermaphrodites et capables de réaliser de l’autofécondation ainsi que de la fécondation croisée. Plusieurs espèces ont été décrites sur base de subtiles différences morphologiques telles que la forme et la taille de la coquille et la coloration du corps. Trois espèces sont actuellement toujours reconnue dans la littérature: Rumina decollata (Linnaeus, 1758), R. saharica Pallary, 1901 et R. paivae (Lowe 1861). Cependant, uniquement le statut spécifique de R. decollata et R. saharica a été confirmé par la morphologie de la coquille et l'anatomie génitale. L’objectif de la thèse est de clarifier la taxonomie du genre Rumina par une approche de taxonomie intégrative en associant des caractères moléculaires, morphologiques et anatomiques ainsi que les méthodes issues de la génétique des populations. Quatre gènes mitochondriaux et deux gènes nucléaires ont été séquencés pour reconstruire la phylogénie de Rumina. Les résultats confirment le statut d’espèce de R. saharica, excluent R. paivae en tant qu’espèce et proposent une nouvelle classification pour R. decollata en 6 espèces phylogénétiques. R. saharica est aussi confirmé en tant qu’espèce morphologique suite à une étude morphomètrique, cependant les nouvelles espèces de R. decollata n’ont pas pu être différenciées ni par les variables morphologiques testées, ni par des particularités dans l’anatomie génitale. Néanmoins, deux des espèces de R. decollata correspondent à deux morphotypes (clair et foncé) auparavant décrits et étudiés dans la région de Montpellier. L’étude de ces deux espèces phylogénétiques avec des microsatellites et allozymes permettent de confirmer le statut spécifique des deux morphotypes et révèlent que R. decollata pratique l’autofécondation croisée à un taux supérieur à celui rapporté dans la littérature, défiant ainsi la règle selon laquelle les hermaphrodites pratiqueraient exclusivement l’autofécondation ou exclusivement la fécondation croisée. L’espèce correspondante au morphotype foncé a été introduite en plusieurs endroits du monde et semble être l’espèce possédant la plus grande capacité invasive parmi les Rumina. Ainsi, nos résultats suggèrent que le genre Rumina, auparavant décrit comme étant composé de trois espèces, est en fait un complexe de sept espèces, qui doivent être davantage étudiées de façon à confirmer leur statut d’espèce par d’autres concepts d’espèce. / Rumina spp. Risso, 1826 (family Subulinidae) is a hermaphroditic terrestrial snail, performing both selfing and outcrossing. Several nominal species have been described based on subtle differences in the shape and size of the shell, and body coloration. Currently, three taxa are still recognized, viz. R. decollata (Linnaeus, 1758), R. saharica Pallary, 1901 and R. paivae (Lowe, 1860). Yet, species-specific differentiation has only been confirmed for R. decollata and R. saharica, based on shell and genital morphology. This work aims at resolving the taxonomy of the genus Rumina through an integrative taxonomic approach by combining molecular, morphological and anatomical characters, as well as population genetic methods. Four mitochondrial and two nuclear genes were used to infer Rumina’s phylogeny. Results suggest that R. saharica is a phylogentic species, R. paivae is not a phylogenetic species and R. decollata is composed by 6 phylogenetic species. The specific status of R. saharica was confirmed by a morphometric analysis, however the remaining phylogenetic species of R. decollata could not be differentiated neither by the shell characters analyzed nor by the genital anatomy. Nevertheless, two phylogenetic species of Rumina representing the dark and light colored strains previously described in the Montpellier region. The study of both these strains with microsatellites and allozymes confirmed their specific status and revealed that outcrossing might be more prevalent than was previously suggested in the literature, therefore defying the alleged rule that hermaphroditic species should be either strict self-fertilizers or strict outcrosser. The dark strain was introduced in several places through the world and seems to be the one with highest invasive character within the genus Rumina. Therefore, our results suggest that the genus Rumina, previously described as having three species, is in fact a complex of seven species that need to be further explored in order to confirm their species status under other species concepts. / Doctorat en Sciences / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished