Systematics, ochlospecies, and research

[Fred Rickson]

This thread brings up something we have all seen on this and other
scientific groups...something like " Hi, I am going to do a project on taxa
A, H, and Q...please tell me what is known about these organisms as I (we)
can't find anything."  Whatever happened to the idea of initial scientific
knowledge of something, perhaps gleaned from the literature, becoming an
hypothesis, and perhaps the solving of a real problem (basic or applied) by
the process of experimentation or sampling, ensues?  The above proposed
research on "ochlospecies" reminds me of the numerous plant embryology
descriptions of species, common to someone's backyard, published in the 50s
and 60s.  The final line of the resulting publication would always be
"...and this information might add in the taxonomy of this group someday."
Now we have someone going to do research on "ochlospecies" when no one can
even define the name much less have any background information on a real,
biological problem.  Please, no bleeding hearts.

Fred Rickson