This book presents an engaging and accessible examination of the role of systematic biology in species exploration and biodiversity conservation.
Our planet and systematic biology are at a crossroads. Millions of species face an imminent threat of extinction, and, with knowledge of only a fraction of earth’s species we are unprepared to respond. Species, Science and Society explains what is at stake if we continue to ignore the traditional mission of systematics. Rejecting claims that it is too late to document earth’s species, that molecular evidence is sufficient and that comparative morphology and the grand traditions of systematics are outdated, this book makes a compelling argument for a taxonomic renaissance. The book challenges readers to rethink assumptions about systematics. Shattering myths and misconceptions and clarifying the role of systematics in confronting mass extinction, it hopes to inspire a new generation of systematists. Readers are given a deeply personal view of the mission, motivations and rewards of systematic biology. Written in narrative style with passion, wit and optimism, it is the first book to question the growing dominance of molecular data, defend descriptive taxonomy and propose a mission to discover, describe and classify all species. Our evolutionary heritage, the fate of society and the future of the planet depend on what we do next.
This book will be of great interest to academics, researchers and professionals working in systematics, taxonomy and biodiversity conservation, as well as students with a basic background in biology.
Author(s): Quentin Wheeler
Series: Routledge Studies in Conservation and the Environment
Publisher: Routledge/Earthscan
Year: 2023
Language: English
Pages: 265
City: London
Cover
Endorsement
Half Title
Series Information
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Table of Contents
Preface
Acnkowledgments
Part I Overview
1 A Little About Molecules
Further Reading
2 Scientific Malpractice
Further Reading
3 The Science of Species
Further Reading
4 The Art of Survival
Further Reading
5 Cosmology of the Life Sciences
Further Reading
6 Choices
History
Conservation
Quality of Life
Further Reading
7 Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Taxonomy But Were Afraid to Ask
Playing to Your Strengths
Theoretical Systematics
Beauty, Awe and Wonder
Intellectual Intimacy
Science Con Amore
Creative Scientific Writing
Intellectual Excitement
Adventure of Exploration
Accountability and Recognition
Greater Than Self
Joy, Humor and a Little Naughty
Note
Further Reading
8 A Science Misunderstood Greatly
Species Are Arbitrary
Systematics Is “Merely Descriptive”
Systematics Is a Service
DNA “Reveals” Phylogenetic Relationships
DNA Data Is Superior
Anything an Amateur Can Do Can’t Be Serious Science
Natural History Collections Are a Relic of a Bygone Age
Systematics Ought to Conform to the Precepts of Other Sciences
Further Reading
9 The Species-Scape
Further Reading
10 The Illusion of Knowledge
What Is a Species?
What Species Are There?
What Is the Tree of Life?
What Is the History of Character Transformations?
Where Are Species Distributed, Geographically and Ecologically?
How Have Species Distributions Changed Through Time?
How Can Classifications Be Predictive?
How Can Taxonomic Knowledge Be Leveraged for Biomimetic Solutions?
Further Reading
11 Morphology Without Apology
Note
Further Reading
12 The Inventory Imperative
A Taxonomic Inventory
Return On Investment
Language of Biodiversity
Phylogenetic Classification: General Reference System
Further Reading
13 Other Than That, Mrs. Lincoln, How Was the Play?
Morality, Ethics and Conservation
Further Reading
Part II A Crisis of Crises
14 Extinction
Further Reading
15 Systematics Under Siege
Further Reading
16 The Nature Gap
Further Reading
17 Options for a Sustainable Future
Further Reading
Part III Solutions
18 Taxonomic Renaissance
Cybertaxonomy
Collecting By Proxy
Send in the SWAT Team
Teamwork
Citizen Scientists and Crowd-Sourced Identifications
e-Monography
Doing Your Own Thing … Together
Modern Museum
Biomimetic Ideation
Perception Through Reality
Further Reading
19 A Planetary-Scale Species Inventory
Twelve Elements of a Taxonomic Inventory of All Species
Further Reading
20 Hall of the Holocene
A Day at the Museum
Commentary On Natural History Museum Leadership
Behind the Scenes
Outreach, Education and Hands-On Citizen Science
Keeping It Real
Summary
Further Reading
21 Shameless Self-Promotion
Top 10 New Species
Species Hall of Fame
Celebrity Names
Making Species Discovery Count
Further Reading
22 The Evolution of Evolutionary Economics
Further Reading
Epilogue
Note
Further Reading
Epilogue
Glossary
Index
