Globale Taxonomie-Initiative – Nationale Kontaktstelle Deutschland

The classical and relatively narrow definition of taxonomical research says: “Taxonomy is the area of biological science that deals with the naming (nomenclature), identification and classification of organisms.”

The differentiation of taxonomy from other biological research disciplines is not always easy. Overlaps exist for example in the area of biosystematics, even though the main focus lies here more on phylogenetic relationships and hierarchical classifications. Taxonomic research is engaged in the naming of organisms in accordance with Popper’s understanding of science: The hypothesis which states the unity of organism, species and name is being verified or falsified by using different methods (Enghoff, 2009).

Aside from the so called “alpha-taxonomy” there are other scientific areas where taxonomy plays a crucial role. Starting from phylogeny and evolutionary science where morphologic and genetic studies form a fundamental basis. Moreover the knowledge of species is an important prerequisite for faunistic and floristic studies as well as for nature inventories. In many cases such studies open out into generic revisions and revisions of orders, which are again part of taxonomy.

Taxonomic research predominantly takes place at natural sciences museums, where quite a few taxonomists work unpaid, often overtime and on own account. While the numbers of taxonomists in Germany show the tendency to remain static or even decrease due to poor professional prospects (explicit numbers are hard to obtain but are currently being raised by a study on taxonomic research in Germany), the numbers on a global scale are on the increase. This is in particularly true for mega-diverse countries such as Brazil and China.

On this website an overview of taxonomic research projects is given and case studies are being presented in order to show the great significance of the correct naming of organisms. For the future it is evident that the relevance of taxonomy-based research will increase especially in the face of climate change related shifts of distribution areas of plants, animals and human pathogens.

More interesting links:

• Interview with André Koch addressing the taxonomy debate led by the German Federal Parliament (in German)
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) is a data gateway that allows access to and input of observation data of animals, plants and microorganisms.
• GBIF Deutschland (GBIF-D): The German contribution to GBIF consists of eight nodes which cover different taxonomic groups (Bacteria & Archaea, Plants & Protists, Fungi & Lichens, Insects, Invertebrates II, Invertebrates III, Vertebrates, Fossils)