Glossary entry (derived from question below)
Spanish term or phrase:
estructuras télicas
English translation:
functional structures
Added to glossary by
Charles Davis
Sep 19, 2016 04:34
7 yrs ago
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Spanish term
Estructuras télicas
Spanish to English
Science
Biology (-tech,-chem,micro-)
bats
Destaca de la lista comprensiva de especies de murciélagos del Chiribiquete, que un 32% de esta diversidad la componen especies raras y muy raras, de acuerdo a su representatividad en colecciones científicas, con tan solo un 30% de especies consideradas comunes bajo el mismo criterio. Se documenta la existencia de una nueva especie de quiróptero, no conocida para la ciencia, en el género Lonchorhina de la familia Phyllostomidae, la cual a la fecha se considera endémica para el PNN Chiribiquete en su porción sur; estos datos señalan el parque como la zona del neotrópico con el mayor número de especies en este género (cuatro de cinco especies conocidas). Adicionalmente, Lonchorhina sp. nov., representa el mamífero con las estructuras télicas (hoja nasal y pinna auditiva) más desarrolladas en proporción a su tamaño corporal
Proposed translations
(English)
| 3 +1 | functional structures |
Charles Davis
|
Change log
Sep 27, 2016 20:10: Charles Davis Created KOG entry
Proposed translations
+1
2 hrs
Selected
functional structures
This is not a standard biological term. In fact I can't find a single instance of it in anatomy apart from this, and I can't find any references to "telic structures" in English in this kind of context. "Télico" in Spanish, and "telic" in English, are only found as linguistic terms, applying to types of verbs and meaning verbs expressing purpose.
That must give us a clue to what it means. "Telos" means ultimate aim, end or purpose. So "estructuras télicas" means structures serving or directed to a purpose: in this case, the nose leaf and pinna in bats are directed to the purpose of echolocation. But although there are some references to "purposive" or "purposeful" anatomical structures in older texts, I wouldn't use those words, since they tend imply a teleological (purpose-directed) view of evolution that modern biology rejects. I think "functional structures" would be the most suitable term.
There's a relevant discussion of "purpose" versus "function" here:
https://books.google.es/books?id=7jb6CAAAQBAJ&pg=PA60&lpg=PA...
That must give us a clue to what it means. "Telos" means ultimate aim, end or purpose. So "estructuras télicas" means structures serving or directed to a purpose: in this case, the nose leaf and pinna in bats are directed to the purpose of echolocation. But although there are some references to "purposive" or "purposeful" anatomical structures in older texts, I wouldn't use those words, since they tend imply a teleological (purpose-directed) view of evolution that modern biology rejects. I think "functional structures" would be the most suitable term.
There's a relevant discussion of "purpose" versus "function" here:
https://books.google.es/books?id=7jb6CAAAQBAJ&pg=PA60&lpg=PA...
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