Revolutionary thoughts on taxonomy: declarations of independence and interdependence

Wheeler, Quentin D.

doi:10.1590/s1984-46702009000100001

Cited by 10 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…'s priorities end with getting all of those books written, all of those species described, sidestepping their historical biology and capacity to illuminate history. Fair enough for end‐users of taxonomic data, keen to re‐engineer these data without full regard for their reliability or longevity (Prendini, ; Wheeler, ), but less so for systematists and the science of comparative biology.…”

Section: Synonymy and The Real Taxonomic Enterprise—classificationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Does counting species count as taxonomy? On misrepresenting systematics, yet again

et al. 2013

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Recent commentary by Costello and collaborators on the current state of the global taxonomic enterprise attempts to demonstrate that taxonomy is not in decline as feared by taxonomists, but rather is increasing by virtue of the rate at which new species are formally named. Having supported their views with data that clearly indicate as much, Costello et al. make recommendations to increase the rate of new species descriptions even more. However, their views appear to rely on the perception of species as static and numerically if not historically equivalent entities whose value lie in their roles as "metrics". As such, their one-dimensional portrayal of the discipline, as concerned solely with the creation of new species names, fails to take into account both the conceptual and epistemological foundations of systematics. We refute the end-user view that taxonomy is on the rise simply because more new species are being described compared with earlier decades, and that, by implication, taxonomic practice is a formality whose pace can be streamlined without considerable resources, intellectual or otherwise. Rather, we defend the opposite viewpoint that professional taxonomy is in decline relative to the immediacy of the extinction crisis, and that this decline threatens not just the empirical science of phylogenetic systematics, but also the foundations of comparative biology on which other fields rely. The allocation of space in top-ranked journals to propagate views such as those of Costello et al. lends superficial credence to the unsupportive mindset of many of those in charge of the institutional fate of taxonomy. We emphasize that taxonomy and the description of new species are dependent upon, and only make sense in light of, empirically based classifications that reflect evolutionary history; homology assessments are at the centre of these endeavours, such that the biological sciences cannot afford to have professional taxonomists sacrifice the comparative and historical depth of their hypotheses in order to accelerate new species descriptions.

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Section: Synonymy and The Real Taxonomic Enterprise—classificationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Does counting species count as taxonomy? On misrepresenting systematics, yet again

et al. 2013

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“…Character analysis forms the backbone of taxonomy and provides the raw material upon which species descriptions and phylogenetic classifications are based (Wheeler, 2009a). As a comparative, hypothesis-driven science, taxonomy involves the continual revision of biological classifications in order to reflect new data produced through updated analytical methods (de Carvalho et al, 2014;Sluys, 2013).…”

Section: Taxonomy: the Foundation Of Biologymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The sheer abundance and diversity of insects amplifies all of the taxonomic challenges, and opportunities, associated with studying other groups (Wheeler, 2009a). With over 1 million species currently described and many times that number undocumented, insects present unique challenges due to their incredible diversity and a lack of trained insect taxonomists (Adler & Footit, 2009;Wheeler, 2009a;Wilson, 1988).…”

Section: Insect Taxonomymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…With over 1 million species currently described and many times that number undocumented, insects present unique challenges due to their incredible diversity and a lack of trained insect taxonomists (Adler & Footit, 2009;Wheeler, 2009a;Wilson, 1988). The extra demands of insect taxonomy have necessitated the training of 'parataxonomists' who act as a first filter through which large volumes of specimens are passed before reaching the specialist (Kim, 2009).…”

Section: Insect Taxonomymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Optimising Capture Methods for the Evaluation of Parasitoid Wasp Diversity

Saunders¹

2018

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Parasitoid wasps are mega-diverse, ecologically dominant, but poorly studied components of global biodiversity. Despite their intensive application within pest management as biocontrol agents, little is known about native species. To understand their basic biology they must be collected in sampling programs. However, invertebrate surveys are increasingly subject to funding and time constraints that often preclude complete faunal inventories. In order to maximise the efficiency and reduce the cost of their collection, the application of optimal sampling techniques within a Rapid Biodiversity Assessment framework is proposed. Two sites in the Waitakere Ranges were sampled three times over the summer. An intensive sampling effort of 840 Malaise-trap-days over a three month period was used to determine the relationship between sampling effort and observed species richness. Rarefaction techniques and non-parametric estimators were used to predict true species richness and to evaluate the completeness of sampling. Results show that an intensive Malaise-trapping regime over the summer can capture two-thirds of parasitoid wasp species present. Sampling recommendations are provided to guide optimal usage of Malaise traps for both ecological studies and faunal inventories. Modern taxonomic methods are reviewed and a new species of parasitoid wasp is described, representing the first New Zealand species from the genus Lusius (Ichneumonidae: Ichneumoninae). Morphological measurements confirm the new species represents a significant range expansion for the genus. Greater collaboration between ecologists and taxonomists is encouraged, in order to make more efficient use of resources, data, and expertise unique to each discipline. This is the first study to investigate the relationship between sampling effort and parasitoid wasp diversity in New Zealand. It shows that very high sampling effort fails to catch all species present. Parasitoid wasps are known to be keystone species that show promise as indicators of environmental quality and as surrogates for the diversity of other taxa. The development of optimal sampling strategies will therefore provide an important foundation for their future study.

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“…Species biodiversity and museum collections are ultimate treasures of humanity and deserve to be built and shared in a completely open way for the benefi t of mankind (Wheeler 2009). …”

Section: The Increasing Power Of Brazilian Taxonomymentioning

confidence: 99%

Knowledge of insect diversity in Brazil: challenges and advances

2009

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Conhecimento da Diversidade de Insetos no Brasil: Desafi os e AvançosRESUMO -Em breve, um milhão de espécies de insetos estará descrita em todo mundo. O Brasil, com cerca de 9% desse total e possivelmente outras 400 mil espécies ainda não descritas, tem a maior diversidade de insetos. Mas temos cerca de 140 taxônomos ativos, o que signifi ca aproximadamente 3.600 espécies de insetos para cada profi ssional. Como cada um deles publica em média 100 espécies novas durante sua vida profi ssional, seriam necessários 2-3 mil anos para descrever toda nossa entomodiversidade. Alguns dos problemas para o desenvolvimento da taxonomia de insetos no Brasil são: difi culdades em obter empréstimos de alguns museus estrangeiros; difi culdades para dissecar espécimes tipos emprestados; depreciação de revistas taxonômicas pela aplicação do fator de impacto; persistência da compreensão limitada do valor do conhecimento taxonômico; legislação restritiva para trabalho de campo; e desrespeito à legislação brasileira que regulamenta sobre o depósito de material biológico coletado no país. Para ações verdadeiramente efetivas para preservação da diversidade biológica no país são necessários: a criação de um centro nacional de informação sobre o conhecimento de diversidade entomológica; investimentos em conjunto de instituições que atuariam como eixos de desenvolvimento do conhecimento taxonômico; investimentos na formação de novos taxonomistas; soluções para os problemas burocráticos que inibem o cumprimento constitucional de conhecimento da biodiversidade; e ações altamente organizadas para conter o desmatamento em áreas de alta diversidade. PALAVRAS-CHAVE: Entomodiversidade, entomologia, fator de impacto, sistemática, taxonomia ABSTRACT -Insects will soon reach one million known species worldwide. Brazil, with about 9% of this total, and possibly another 400 thousand species yet to be discovered, harbors the highest insect diversity in the world. The country has a complement of about 140 active taxonomists, which means a quota of 3,600 insect species per professional. Each Brazilian taxonomist publishes, on average, about 100 species during a professional life span, so it would take 2-3 thousand years to only know the country's insect diversity. Some of the problems hindering the development of insect taxonomy in Brazil are: diffi culties with international loans; diffi culties with permission for dissecting loaned type specimens; low scientifi c esteem of taxonomic journals as assessed by the Impact Factor index; academic low esteem of taxonomy knowledge; legal restrictions to fi eld work and disregard of the Brazilian legislation that regulates the fi nal destination of biological material. If truly responsible actions towards preserving biological diversity are to be undertaken nationwide, key problems must be addressed and solved: creation of a national center of information on entomological diversity; investment in a core of institutions that would act as an axis for the development of taxonomic knowledge; investment in the form...

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Revolutionary thoughts on taxonomy: declarations of independence and interdependence

Cited by 10 publications

References 9 publications

Does counting species count as taxonomy? On misrepresenting systematics, yet again

Does counting species count as taxonomy? On misrepresenting systematics, yet again

Optimising Capture Methods for the Evaluation of Parasitoid Wasp Diversity

Knowledge of insect diversity in Brazil: challenges and advances

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