Case Studies | Globale Taxonomie-Initiative – Nationale Kontaktstelle Deutschland

Distribution mechanisms of coral larvae support designation of marine conservation areas

9. November 2011 - 17:16 — l.chamsai

Photo: Andreas Hallerbach / Flickr

Many marine organisms have mobile larvae and only at later life stages establish sessile colonies. Although several reseach projects on this topic exist, there is not much known about distribution mechanisms, which reflects there complexity and dependency on multiple factors such as age, survival rates und swimming speed of larvae but also on environmental conditions

Lace bug as biological control in Southafrica and New Zealand

31. October 2011 - 15:26 — l.chamsai

Photo: cotinis / Flickr

In 1984 research was conducted in order to combat the invasive Southamerican plant Solanum mauritanum which had spread in the humid areas of Southafrica and had caused massive environmental problems there. Scientists studied 11 diffrent biological control agents with the aim to identify one with a high host specifity in order to prevent uncrontrolled dispersal and damage to other plant species. The study heavily relied on taxonomic expertise.

King crab invasion possibly changing Antarctic ecology

14. October 2011 - 16:58 — l.chamsai

Photo: Jan Borgsted / Flickr

Scientists discovered at the edge of the Western Antarctic Peninsular (WAP) in a basin called Palmers Deep a reproductive population of the king crab species Neolithodes yaldwyni in February 2011. Never before have these animals been recorded on the Western Antarctic continental shelf and scientists have assumed low water temperatures to be a limitating factor for their prevalence. If these assumptions are true the continues increase observed in water temperature due to climate change in these areas could by time facilitate the settlement of these crabs. Considering the warming rate of the water around Palmers Deep this could happen within the next 10-20 years.

Saving a plant species from extinction

17. August 2011 - 13:43 — l.chamsai

Scientists often use biological control as a means of doing away with pests. This entails careful taxonomy to identify the pests, as well as a species that would prey upon them. Once careful identification and study has taken place, the control species can be introduced to rid the target species. Great care has to be taken, however, that the introduced species will not itself become a pest.

Taxonomy and Conservation

17. August 2011 - 13:42 — l.chamsai

Photo: Museum für Naturkunde Berlin

We do not know the true number of species on earth, even to the nearest order of magnitude. It is estimated that the absolute number of species falls between 5 and 30 million, although some scientists have put forward even higher estimates, up to 50 million. At present approximately 1.4 million living species of all kinds of organisms have been described. Some groups are catalogued better than others and some habitats are better researched than others.

Taxonomy and climate change

17. August 2011 - 13:41 — l.chamsai

Photo: Museum für Naturkunde Berlin

Climate change could cause a possible rise in sea-levels, changes in rainfall patterns and increased frequency of extreme weather events. Climate change is also one of the major threats to biodiversity and can be a leading factor in the extinction of species. Taxonomy is one of the most effective scientific means of studying and predicting the effects of climate change. The names taxonomists give to species can help us to identify patterns in nature. The specimens taxonomists collect and study can tell us a great deal about patterns of biological diversity.

Anti-HIV drugs discovered in rainforest plants

11. August 2011 - 10:46 — l.chamsai

Photo: zxcynosure / iStockphoto

It has long been known that plants offer many resources besides food, erosion mitigation and carbon storage. Scientists have been deriving medicines from plants to treat diseases for decades. One of the most famous, of course, is quinine from the cinchona tree of South America that is used to treat malaria. Recently, scientists have discovered plants in Malaysia that show great potential as anti-HIV drugs.

Detrimental health effects of cinnamon - correct identification of species needed

27. July 2011 - 16:57 — l.chamsai

Photo: Uschi Dreiucker / PIXELIO

Cinnamon is produced by using the bark of tropical trees of the plant family Lauraceae and the genus Cinnamomum. The trees can originate from different countries. There are more than 100 different tree species that provide cinnamon-like spices. The genera Cinnamomum comprises of 300 species. On the German market there are only two kinds of cinnamon for sale - the Ceylon-Cinnamon from Srilanka (Cinnamomum verum) and the Cassia-Cinnamon from China (Cinnamomum aromaticum). The latter contains the flavoring agent Cumarin, a liver-toxin which can be found in many different plants, e.g. woodruff.

Role of taxonomy for the management of invasive species

27. July 2011 - 16:13 — l.chamsai

Photo: JPW. Peters / PIXELIO

Within the family of ladybirds (Coccinellidae) there are 6,000 known species world wide in 370 genera. In Germany there are 82 different species of ladybirds. The example of the asian ladybird Harmonia axyridis shows the importance of the differentiation of species for the environment (Taxonomy) and us humans. Like many of the german ladybird species H. axyridis mostly feeds on aphids. In the 90th they were interoduced to Germany as pest control in greenhouses. Since then the asian ladybird has spread throughout the country and developed from a former beneficial insect into a pest itself. Experts see the danger of H. axyridis replacing local ladybird species for whom they pose a serious competition due to higher food requirements and a stronger immun system (later was shown by recent studies).

Plant as antibacterial

27. July 2011 - 15:08 — l.chamsai

Photo: Arthur Chapman

Tea tree oil is a well-known and popular substance used in many different ways for its antibacterial effects. The oil is extracted from leaves and branches of different tree species belonging to the Myrtle family (Myrtaceae). Aside from the tea tree the Myrtle family provides numerous other essential oils such as eucalyptus, cajeput, niaouli, gloves, manuka and myrtle. The main active agent of the tea tree oil is Terpinen-4-ol of which it should contain at least 30% in order to be allowed for official use.