Introduction
The findings on fossil in the hominid species are limited and rare which leaves a gap in understanding the human family tree. The discovery of ‘new’ hominid fossils as the case of the Dmanisi discovery in Georgia in 2005 has, therefore, promote a debate on lumbering or splitting of species. The classification of fossils is challenged by the emergence of new fossil with similar and different characteristics from those already discovered. Specialists in fossil classification often contend on where species should be classified and the boundaries in categorization (Lordkipanidze et al., 2013). Lumping and splitting are the significant intellectual divides in the orientation of species.
Lumpers
Lumping refers to the process where two fossils are classified in the same category unless there is a convincing reason to divide them. Michigan University introduced the model in the 1960s with the argument that all hominids should be classified under a single species since they occupy a particular ecological niche (Hublin, 2014). The lumbers argument, thus, emphasize the primary role of culture which shows the impossibility of single hominin species existing at any other given time in the past. Lumbers, therefore, propose that all fossils from a single species should be classified together. The discovery in the Dnamisi site in Georgia of the best-preserved skull of an early Homo leads the discoverer David Lordkipanidze and his colleagues to lump the three early Homos taxas into a single species of Homo erectus (Lordkipanidze et al., 2013). The classification is based on the comparison of the fossil and its specifics with other fossils from the same site and other relics from Africa with similar characteristic and concluding that they should be lump into one species. The Homo erectus species is believed to be a distinct species as it exhibits a wide variation in size with a larger brain from the previous forms. It also displays various cranial features such as extreme protruding and bony brow ridges as well as a strong thickening across its occipital bone. Homo erectus is also recognized as the first hominid to occupy a substantial part of Eurasia (Hublin, 2014). The species have been represented in the last 300000 years in the Far East.
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Splitters
On the other hand, splitters argue that different fossils should be classified in different categories unless they are a compelling reason to unite them. Splitters embrace the rapid occurrence of specialization which marks a complete separation of species. They, therefore, assume that there are various variations of species in the world and unless there is evidence, any new species represents an example of a different species (Hublin, 2014). Splitting, therefore, increase the number of genus and species until the classification is shown redundant. The method of splitting is assumed to be safer than lumping in cases where the evidence present is ambiguous (Galway-Witham, 2016). For example, in the homo species, splitters classify species through the assessment of their crania variability by examining the shape and size of the skull in the face and braincase. The results have led to the discovery of different features such as the dental composition with distinguishing between Homo habilis and Homo rudolfensis (Hublin, 2014).
Conclusion
Lumping and spitting serves various purposes. It defines how specialists address the historic possibilities they anticipate and embrace. Lumping reduces the number of species making it easier to read through the avoidance of minor differences which occur among species. For example, all hominins can be lumped as Homo erectus. Splitting, on the other hand, increases the species and focus on the maintaining specific variations, here the hominids are split into Homo habilis, Homo ergaster or Homo erectus among others. However, lumping and splitting only occurs in ambiguous cases.
References
Galway-Witham, J. (2016). “What’s in a Name?” The Taxonomy & Phylogeny of Early Homo. Papers from the Institute of Archaeology, 25(2).
Hublin, J. J. (2014). Paleoanthropology: Homo erectus and the limits of a paleontological species. Current Biology , 24 (2), R82-R84.
Lordkipanidze, D., de León, M. S. P., Margvelashvili, A., Rak, Y., Rightmire, G. P., Vekua, A., & Zollikofer, C. P. (2013). A complete skull from Dmanisi, Georgia, and the evolutionary biology of early Homo. Science , 342 (6156), 326-331.
