World and General

Consortium for the Barcode of Life (CBOL)

Barcode of Life

Taxonomy - on the road to extinction? (Article in Science, January 2005)

Developing countries need more taxonomy (Article in Science)

Can we halt the loss of biodiversity? (Article in Science)

Europe

CETAF - Objectives

Supporting European taxonomy - current state and possible future actions; Annex- contributions to the discussion discussion moderated by Dessislava Dimitrova (EPBRS meeting held under the Italian Presidency in Florence, 20-24 November 2003) at: http://www.bioplatform.info/archive_EPBRS_wg.htm

Useful Texts

Taxonomy is often considered a purely descriptive science, basically because it has its historic roots in the age of the Enlightenment when essentialism was prevalent, and because its vocabulary points in that direction as we describe species, make species diagnoses etc. Like the Human Genome Project taxonomy is not experimental, but not being experimental is not equivalent to not being hypothesis-driven.

Today’s species descriptions are based on a synthesis of a broad range of different data – including DNA data – making it possible to create interesting hypotheses about the distribution of attributes among organisms. It must be realised by our fellow biologists that taxonomy is not only a service to other biological disciplines but an integral part of evolutionary biology, which make it possible to test evolutionary hypothesis at all levels from the evolution of characters, over the evolution of species, to the evolution of clades. Species concepts, species delimitations, phylogenetic reconstructions, homology statements, character polarizations, and ultimately classifications are not static, but are scientific hypotheses which change as science progress. The drawers and cupboards of any major collection are literally filled with a nearly endless number of untested hypotheses.

Recognising and describing the living species on Earth and unravelling their relationships ("assembling the tree of life") is Big Science and its planetary scope makes is mandatory that all countries realise their responsibility for adding to this endeavour. The international systematic community is faced with a tremendous task as only 1.75 millions of the estimated 10+ millions species have currently been described. Meeting this challenge will require a fundamental restructuring of the way we do science. It is an effort that in magnitude by far surpasses the effort that went into sequencing the human genome.

According to the program of work for the Global Taxonomy Initiative (Decision VI/8 of the 6th Conference of Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, 2002), taxonomy can be defined as follows:

“Broadly understood, taxonomy is the classification of life, though it is most often focused on describing species, their genetic variability, and their relationships to one another. For the purposes of the Convention taxonomy is taken in its broadest sense and is inclusive of systematics and biosystematics at the genetic, species and ecosystem levels.“

In this broad sense, taxonomy includes various types of activities:

• 1. Recognition, description and naming of taxa (species, genera, families etc., also revision of older descriptions, synonymisations etc.) (≈ alpha-taxonomy).
• 2. Comparison of taxa, including studies of relationship (phylogeny) (≈ part of beta-taxonomy).
• 3. Classification of taxa (preferably based on phylogenetic analyses) (≈ part of beta-taxonomy).
• 4. Study of (genetic) variation within species (≈ gamma-taxonomy),
• 5. Construction of tools for identification (keys, DNA barcodes).
• 6. Identification of taxa (using the tools)
• 7. Inventories of taxa in specific areas or ecosystems (using the tools for identification)

What is a taxonomist?

All practitioners of any of the above-listed activities are per definition taxonomists. It may, however, be useful to classify taxonomists:

• 1. alpha-taxonomists: describe, name, revise and synonymise taxa
• 2. beta-taxonomists: compare and classify taxa, make phylogenies
• 3. gamma-taxonomists: study infraspecific variation
• 4. tool-makers: construct keys and other identification tools
• 5. tool-users: identify taxa, make inventories

Any taxonomist may belong to more than one category. More generally, a taxonomist should in the future be a scientist who feels equally at home in the field, in the collections, in the lab, and in front of a computer.

Taxonomy and collections

Taxonomy has been described as a low-cost science. That taxonomy is ‘cheap’ is not true, and has never been true, although relatively expensive sequencing facilities etc. are a recent addition to the taxonomic toolbox. The singularly most important tool for taxonomists is constituted by the natural history collections in museums, botanical gardens etc. Without the collections, including the type-specimens which play a key role in defining the identity of species, most taxonomic research cannot be conducted at any high level of quality. Taxonomy is a collections-based science.

There is a positive feed-back relationship between (taxonomic) research and collections: The better the collections, the better the collections-based research, and the more and better the research, the more useful and better the collections as a tool for future research. Collections are not used up, they gain by being used.

Henrik Enghoff & Ole Seberg, 2005

Accurate and reliable species information is an essential prerequisite for most research related to conservation and sustainable use of natural resources and global change, as is stressed by for example the important Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD, Rio 1992). Such information is being developed by the taxonomic research field. The existing taxonomic impediment for most tropical plant species has been clearly recognized, but the globally rapidly decreasing capacity of taxonomic expertise is alarming. This has led to new initiatives of individual countries as well as to regional and global actions such as the Global Taxonomy Initiative (GTI, under the CBD), the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) and Systematics Agenda 2000. In addition, the CBD adopted the Global Plant Conservation Strategy (Decision VI/9) in April 2002, targeting a working list and preliminary assessment of the conservation status of all known plant species.

The relevance of taxonomic data

Basic taxonomic knowledge relates to four different fields:

1. the capability to accurately identify species

First and foremost issue in any research on plants, be it botanical, ecological, forestry-related, conservation-related, agricultural, etc., is a reliable identification of the research material. The number of botanists having the skill to readily identify tropical plants is decreasing with an alarming speed. These skills can be partly replaced by user-friendly identification tools such as well-illustrated Flora’s, field guides and electronic (multi-entry) identification keys that can be disseminated in off-line and on-line form. Nevertheless, capacity building in identification skills remains of utmost importance and urgency.

2. a uniform system of names

Unfortunately, a single species may be known by various different names. Names may change due to our advancing taxonomic knowledge or to correct errors made in the past (often caused by a lack of sufficient plant material or knowledge or difficult accessible information sources). Decreasing the confusion that this may cause by providing a list of currently accepted names with their synonyms meets the basic need of a standardized nomenclatural framework. Taxonomic integrity of biodiversity data is imperative to facilitate scientific communication, to combine data sets from different sources, and to underpin management and control measures, and legislation.

3. information about species distribution, rareness and threat

Having identified a species, the distribution, rareness and threat of that species are the prime data one would want to know before embarking on any other plant-related research. A collection-based database can usually provide answers as to the distribution and rareness of a plant species. Additional habitat information leads to a judgement concerning threat, preferably using an internationally accepted standard procedure such as developed by IUCN (IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria).

4. biodiversity assessment information

Using the information provided under 3 for all plant species occurring in a certain area leads to a reliable all-species botanical biodiversity validation system. Again, a collection-based database provides the basic information and tools to categorize regions according to their biodiversity value, leading to crucial input to the process of prioritization of areas for conservation and wise utilization by policy makers, NGO’s and local governments. When used within a GIS (Geographic Information System) environment such a database is capable of predicting biodiversity values in regions still poorly explored.

Repatriation of biodiversity data to countries of origin

The development of the proposed information system meets the international demand to create ready and easy access to biodiversity data collected in the past by western institutes and to transfer these data to the countries of origin (Final Report of the OECD Megascience Forum – Biodiversity Informatics Subgroup, 1999: “It is incumbent upon OECD countries who hold the information associated with these specimens to make it possible for scientists and citizens of non-OECD countries …. to have ready and easy access to this information.”; equally strong phrases were adopted during CBD Conference of Parties meetings, i.e. decisions III/10 and IV/1).

Countries

Überwachung von bedrohten Ökosystemen
Bewertung von Pfanzenressourcen und genetischer Vielfalt
Fischerei und Aquakultur
medizinische und pharmakologische Forschung und Anwendung
Ethnobotanische Forschung
Landwirtschaftliche und ökosystemare Forschung
Geologie und Bodenkunde (Rohstoffexploration)
Landschaftsplanung
Naturschutzpolitik
Forensische Wissenschaften
Grundlagenforschung
Institutsmanagement und Sammlungserhaltung
universitäre Lehre
Zoll

Biologisk taksonomi eller systematikk er den grenen av biologien som består i å beskrive, navngi og klassifisere arter. Dette er biologisk grunnforskning overordnet all annen biologisk forskning. Ingen biolog kan gjøre noe meningsfullt arbeid med levende vesener uten å vite hvilken art de arbeider med, hva den heter, hvilke organismer som er dens nærmeste slektninger, og hvor den finnes. Alle biologer står derfor på skuldrene til de taksonomene som har arbeidet med ulike dyregrupper opp gjennom tidene. Taksonomiske publikasjoner foreldes aldri, de hører med til den grunnleggende biologiske referanselitteratur, og taksonomene, eller systematikerne som de også kalles, skriver vel så mye for sin ettertid som for sin samtid.

NHM text

Taxonomy is the science of identifying and naming species and organising them into systems of classification.

Who is involved?

The scientists that do taxonomy are called taxonomists. Their work is crucial for all our efforts to conserve biodiversity.

What's in a name?

The names taxonomists give to species don't just tell us what they are called, but also tell us about how they are related to one another. This can help us to identify patterns in nature, and decide how best to protect the individual species that are part of the world's biodiversity.

How many species are there?

Scientists believe there may be as many as 30 million species of plants, animals and micro-organisms living on the Earth today. Every one of them plays a part in the global ecosystem. Taxonomists have only identified and named approximately 1.7 million of them so far.

How does it help conservation?

Taxonomists use their knowledge to help produce lists of names and identification tools in the form of species databases, field guides, collections and reference works. These tools help conservationists understand biodiversity and develop ways to protect it.

What about taxonomy across the globe?

In the UK, we have a relatively limited biodiversity. However, the UK has a long-standing, globally recognised excellence in the field of taxonomy. Many developing countries are home to amazingly rich biodiversity, but they have only very limited local taxonomic support.

What is the Global Taxonomy Initiative?

The Global Taxonomy Initiative of the Convention on Biological Diversity is helping to address the shortage of taxonomists and taxonomic expertise.