Speaking of geneticists, what is the general opinion, among ecologists, on the "Barcoding of Life" work started by Paul Hebert?
http://www.barcodeoflife.org/content/about/what-dna-barcoding Thiago Sanna F. Silva Postdoctoral Fellow - University of California at Santa Barbara / Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais Ph.D. Geography - M.Sc. Remote Sensing - B.Sc.(Hons) Biology http://thiagosilva.wordpress.com On 2010-11-13, at 4:18 PM, Wayne Tyson wrote: > Bill's story reminds me of the time Karen Sausman asked, "What is a species?" > It seems to be all in a flux, what with PhD candidates swarming all over the > herbaria changing "names" and such, but not re-inventing the whole basis for > nomenclature (at least). Maybe the geneticists will clear it all up one day. > Taxonomists and the fractured trail of crumbs they leave behind may well be > gold dust, but all this head-butting and back-stabbing ain't efficient. This > taxonomist's lecture was full of ecology and evolution, and they're begging > for money, but they think they don' need no stinkin' (abominable) ecologists, > no geologists, no coconut oil . . . > > What should be the relationship of ecologists and taxonomists, if any? Should > one of them be abolished? Should there be a war? Should some gerrymander rise > from the ashes? > > WT > > ----- Original Message ----- From: "Bill Silvert" <[email protected]> > To: <[email protected]> > Sent: Saturday, November 13, 2010 3:43 AM > Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] Taxonomy and Ecology Integrating or Disintegrating? > > >> Wayne's story reminds me that the eminent ecologist Larry Slobodkin once >> observed that "ecology without species is the ultimate abomination." I was >> giving some lectures on size-structured ecosystems, so I introduced myself >> as an "abominable ecologist". It seemed a fitting title. Still does. >> >> Bill Silvert >> >> -----Original Message----- From: Wayne Tyson >> Sent: Friday, November 12, 2010 7:18 PM >> To: [email protected] >> Subject: [ECOLOG-L] Taxonomy and Ecology Integrating or Disintegrating? >> >> Honourable Forum: >> >> Recently there was a discussion about the importance of getting nomenclature >> right in ecological studies. The general conclusion was that this is >> important. To me, the implication was that ecologists need taxonomists on >> the team (this may or may not always or even rarely be possible), or at >> least a procedure by which taxonomic accuracy can be assured. >> >> I recently attended a lecture by a botanist of regional and international >> repute who described a large project to compile a checklist of the vascular >> flora of an inadequately-explored, but quite large region. It is undeniable >> that this is important work, and through this person's leadership, >> significant additions to knowledge of the area have been made. The lecture >> included maps of "bioregions" or "ecoregions." This botanist dismissed the >> value and importance of them, adding that they were the province of the >> ecologists and were highly flawed (I can't quote the lecturer precisely, but >> this is the best of my recollection and my distinct impression). The >> lecturer essentially dismissed ecology, remarking that the lecturer was >> interested only in individual plants and seemed contemptuous of ecologists >> in general, and particularly those involved in establishing the ecoregions >> that were a part of the lecture. I may have misunderstood, as I have long >> held this person in high regard, and those remarks seemed inconsistent with >> past behavior. >> >> Do you find this state of mind to be common among taxonomists in general or >> botanists in particular? Is this apparent schism real or imaginary? Other >> comments? >> >> WT >> >> PS: During the lecture, the speaker remarked about ecological phenomena >> which were not understood (no clue), but at least one reason for one >> phenomenon was apparent to me. I said nothing, as the lecture had been very >> long and the question period short. > > > -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > > > No virus found in this incoming message. > Checked by AVG - www.avg.com > Version: 8.5.449 / Virus Database: 271.1.1/3254 - Release Date: 11/13/10 > 07:34:00
