Malcolm and Ecolog:
Wouldn't it be nice if there always was funding for collections and
curation? But the less obvious a species is, it might not be plentiful,
especially with endemics, no? And if variations in distribution reflect
variations in tolerances and limitations, how much collection would be
needed to reach significant conclusions about those phenomena? Of course,
context is everything, eh? If this is true, might the contexts' of Bortolus'
sample affect the conclusions?
WT
----- Original Message -----
From: "malcolm McCallum" <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Wednesday, September 29, 2010 3:00 PM
Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] errors in ecology due to bad taxonomy
Generally, when a study is conducted you place a representative in a
museum collection and have an expert in that organism group verify the
identification. This is not needed with obvious species (White tailed
deer, &c), but when you start getting into inverts and lower
vertebrates it becomes pretty important because these groups are
continually under taxonomic upheaval.
Malcolm
On Wed, Sep 29, 2010 at 4:36 PM, Wayne Tyson <[email protected]> wrote:
Ecolog:
I very quickly scanned the paper; I may have erred in my interpretation,
so
please do not cascade my potential errors through the literature, gray or
otherwise. I also admit I found Bortolus a bit hard to follow. Maybe I
just
don't understand the particulars (and specific cases) as well as he does.
Is citation of the authority consulted sufficient? Once a paper is
published, even if its nomenclature is correct on the day it was written,
will this problem still arise when revisions are made by taxonomists?
Also,
it sometimes takes years before accepted changes make their way into
manuals. Does this mean that manuals are out of date upon publication? If
so, why publish them? Why cite them? (I am not being sarcastic.) Do "wrong
assumptions" begin and end with taxonomy?
I certainly agree that errors do cascade with undesirable, even disastrous
results. Is Bortolus onto something even bigger than failure to get
taxonomy
right all the time?
WT
PS: If there are "good" taxonomists, are there "bad" taxonomists? If so,
how
does the non-taxonomist distinguish between them? And, is there a sliding
scale of quality between those extremes?
"What is a species?" (Pers. comm., Karen Sausman, ca 1966) It's still a
good
question.
----- Original Message ----- From: "malcolm McCallum"
<[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Wednesday, September 29, 2010 9:45 AM
Subject: [ECOLOG-L] errors in ecology due to bad taxonomy
If you have not read this paper yet, you should!!!
See below...
ERROR CASCADES IN THE BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES: THE UNWANTED CONSEQUENCES
OF USING BAD TAXONOMY IN ECOLOGY
2008. Ambio 37(2): 114-118
Alejandro Bortolus
Abstract: Why do ecologists seem to underestimate the consequences of
using bad taxonomy? Is it because the consequences of doing so have
not been yet scrutinized
well enough? Is it because these consequences are irrelevant? In this
paper I examine and discuss these questions, focusing on the fact that
because ecological works provide baseline information for many other
biological disciplines, they play a key role in spreading and
magnifying the abundance of a variety of conceptual and methodological
errors. Although overlooked and underestimated, this cascade-like
process originates
from trivial taxonomical problems that affect hypotheses and ideas,
but it soon shifts into a profound practical problem affecting our
knowledge about nature, as well as
the ecosystem structure and functioning and the efficiency of human
health care programs. In order to improve the intercommunication among
disciplines, I propose a
set of specific requirements that peer-reviewed journals should
request from all authors, and I also advocate for urgent institutional
and financial support directed at reinvigorating the formation of
scientific collections that integrate taxonomy and ecology.
*****
A pdf of this article is available from the CNAH PDF Library at
http://www.cnah.org/cnah_pdf.asp
--
Malcolm L. McCallum
Managing Editor,
Herpetological Conservation and Biology
"Peer pressure is designed to contain anyone with a sense of drive" -
Allan Nation
1880's: "There's lots of good fish in the sea" W.S. Gilbert
1990's: Many fish stocks depleted due to overfishing, habitat loss,
and pollution.
2000: Marine reserves, ecosystem restoration, and pollution reduction
MAY help restore populations.
2022: Soylent Green is People!
Confidentiality Notice: This e-mail message, including any
attachments, is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may
contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized
review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not
the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply e-mail and
destroy all copies of the original message.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
No virus found in this incoming message.
Checked by AVG - www.avg.com
Version: 8.5.445 / Virus Database: 271.1.1/3166 - Release Date: 09/29/10
05:37:00
--
Malcolm L. McCallum
Managing Editor,
Herpetological Conservation and Biology
"Peer pressure is designed to contain anyone with a sense of drive" -
Allan Nation
1880's: "There's lots of good fish in the sea" W.S. Gilbert
1990's: Many fish stocks depleted due to overfishing, habitat loss,
and pollution.
2000: Marine reserves, ecosystem restoration, and pollution reduction
MAY help restore populations.
2022: Soylent Green is People!
Confidentiality Notice: This e-mail message, including any
attachments, is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may
contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized
review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not
the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply e-mail and
destroy all copies of the original message.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
No virus found in this incoming message.
Checked by AVG - www.avg.com
Version: 8.5.445 / Virus Database: 271.1.1/3166 - Release Date: 09/29/10
05:37:00
