The integrative future of taxonomy

The integrative future of taxonomy

2010 | José M Padial*,1, Aurélien Miralles2, Ignacio De la Riva3 and Miguel Vences*2
The article "The integrative future of taxonomy" by José M. Padial, Aurélien Miralles, Ignacio De la Riva, and Miguel Vences discusses the challenges and future directions of taxonomy in the context of modern biological research. Taxonomy, the discipline that identifies, describes, classifies, and names species, is facing significant challenges due to the need to incorporate new theories, methods, and data from various disciplines. The authors propose an integrative taxonomy framework to address these challenges, which aims to improve species discovery and description and develop novel protocols for a comprehensive inventory of life on Earth. The article highlights two major challenges in taxonomy: reaching scientific consensus on the definition of species and dealing with the vast number of species that need to be discovered and described. To meet these challenges, the authors advocate for a pluralistic approach that integrates new concepts and methods from population genetics, phylogeography, and phylogenetics. They emphasize the importance of applying existing integrative protocols and developing new ones to accelerate species discovery and description. The authors also discuss two main approaches to integrative taxonomy: "integration by congruence" and "integration by cumulation." Integration by congruence focuses on the concordance of multiple taxonomic characters to identify species, while integration by cumulation allows for the recognition of species based on any source of evidence, even a single character. Each approach has its advantages and limitations, and the authors suggest that a combination of both approaches may be the most effective. The article further explores the role of different taxonomic characters, such as molecular and morphological characters, and the importance of considering evolutionary processes in species delimitation. It also introduces the concept of "candidate species" to manage the large number of units that are currently unidentified but may represent new species. Finally, the authors propose a standardized nomenclatural system for candidate species and outline five key areas for the scientific and technical development of integrative taxonomy, including improving taxonomic work protocols, refining probabilistic procedures, developing modular software, and applying genomic analyses to taxonomy. They emphasize the need for more taxonomists and funding to achieve the goals of integrative taxonomy and ensure the accurate and efficient description of species.The article "The integrative future of taxonomy" by José M. Padial, Aurélien Miralles, Ignacio De la Riva, and Miguel Vences discusses the challenges and future directions of taxonomy in the context of modern biological research. Taxonomy, the discipline that identifies, describes, classifies, and names species, is facing significant challenges due to the need to incorporate new theories, methods, and data from various disciplines. The authors propose an integrative taxonomy framework to address these challenges, which aims to improve species discovery and description and develop novel protocols for a comprehensive inventory of life on Earth. The article highlights two major challenges in taxonomy: reaching scientific consensus on the definition of species and dealing with the vast number of species that need to be discovered and described. To meet these challenges, the authors advocate for a pluralistic approach that integrates new concepts and methods from population genetics, phylogeography, and phylogenetics. They emphasize the importance of applying existing integrative protocols and developing new ones to accelerate species discovery and description. The authors also discuss two main approaches to integrative taxonomy: "integration by congruence" and "integration by cumulation." Integration by congruence focuses on the concordance of multiple taxonomic characters to identify species, while integration by cumulation allows for the recognition of species based on any source of evidence, even a single character. Each approach has its advantages and limitations, and the authors suggest that a combination of both approaches may be the most effective. The article further explores the role of different taxonomic characters, such as molecular and morphological characters, and the importance of considering evolutionary processes in species delimitation. It also introduces the concept of "candidate species" to manage the large number of units that are currently unidentified but may represent new species. Finally, the authors propose a standardized nomenclatural system for candidate species and outline five key areas for the scientific and technical development of integrative taxonomy, including improving taxonomic work protocols, refining probabilistic procedures, developing modular software, and applying genomic analyses to taxonomy. They emphasize the need for more taxonomists and funding to achieve the goals of integrative taxonomy and ensure the accurate and efficient description of species.
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