Taxonomy as the key to life

Abstract

Taxonomy is a key to life in not only providing guides to distinguishing species but in opening the door to knowledge about biodiversity. Species names, as the only standardised measure of biodiversity, are essential for communication of information about nature. However, new knowledge means that what we understand a species to be may change over time. Online species databases are improving accessibility to this knowledge and expertise and provide an easy way to keep up to date with species nomenclature and classification. I propose three practical priorities for taxonomy: (1) complete a world list of all known species through the “Catalogue of Life”; (2) establish an online cooperative community infrastructure that updates species nomenclature and links it to associated literature, information and expertise; (3) create an internet portal as a key to life on Earth. The first is near completion in the Catalogue of Life. The second has an exemplar in the World Register of Marine Species. The third goal has not begun but some of its ingredients exist. Moreover, a “key to life” infrastructure suitably supported by the community and science organisations, could be a focal point for a world taxonomic society and a taxonomy based mega-science initiative to understand life on Earth.

Harmonizing taxon names in biodiversity data: a review of tools, databases, and best practices

“…Freiberg et al, 2020), taxonomic authority (list/file) (Vanden Berghe et al, 2015), taxonomic databases (Rees, 2014), taxonomic backbone (e.g. Schulman et al, 2021), or taxonomic checklist (Costello, 2020) are used interchangeably, often without clear definitions. The terminological diversity makes it difficult to understand differences between terms and potentially to find the correct resources.…”

Towards a global list of accepted species III. Independence and stakeholder inclusion

“…3 If all decisions required for setting up the global listing process were purely taxonomic, then assigning roles would be straightforward. Only taxonomists-used in a broad sense that includes both amateurs and professionals involved in describing new species or in other aspects of taxonomy such as phylogeny and classification (Costello, 2020)-would have to be involved. As we explain below, this is not the case: the global listing process includes decisions that are not fully determined by purely taxonomic grounds.…”

Is the demise of plant taxonomy in sight? Maybe yes, maybe no…

“…Taxonomic plant checklists, floras and monographs are produced with verified names and associated vouchers supporting species' identity by experts in the field (Grace et al 2021). In other words, taxonomy (and nomenclature) are key components of biology (Costello 2020) and species are the currency of biodiversity (Sigwart et al 2018), which and in conjunction with monographs disseminate scientific information to accelerate research (Grace et al 2021).…”