[Taxacom] the hurdle for all biodiv informatics initiatives

[Stephen Thorpe]

micro-fungi and other micro-organisms not included!

absurb [sic] or not, it is true for at least the terrestrial arthropods, molluscs, etc.

I have worked in collections and worked with samples for over a decade, and been in the field many times ...

S

________________________________
From: Paul Kirk [p.kirk at cabi.org]
Sent: Wednesday, 24 February 2010 7:48 p.m.
To: Stephen Thorpe; Richard Pyle; Tony.Rees at csiro.au; jim.croft at gmail.com
Cc: Taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu
Subject: RE: [Taxacom] the hurdle for all biodiv informatics initiatives

That's the most absurb statement I have read this millenium ... which planet are you living on - Pandora. The percentage you mention is probably the reverse for the taxon I work on - 95% are unknown. Lets be specific next time!

Paul

________________________________
From: taxacom-bounces at mailman.nhm.ku.edu on behalf of Stephen Thorpe
Sent: Wed 24/02/2010 06:19
To: Richard Pyle; Tony.Rees at csiro.au; jim.croft at gmail.com
Cc: Taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu
Subject: Re: [Taxacom] the hurdle for all biodiv informatics initiatives


>Of course, there are vastly MORE undescribed taxa in the field than there are in collections, and one might make the reasonable predicition that a higher percentaage of the undescribed taxa in collections will still be available for examination a hundred years from now; compared with the undescribed taxa in the field

In N.Z., probably 95% or so of all (not just known, but ALL) terrestrial species in the wild are in collections, but many still unrecognised in bulk samples etc. The problem is that many of them are only represented in collections by insufficient material, but until we know that, we don't know what to TARGET in the field, and so we just end up collecting more and more bulk samples full of the common taxa ...

"Charity begins at home" and "Taxonomy begins in collections" ...


________________________________________
From: Richard Pyle [deepreef at bishopmuseum.org]
Sent: Wednesday, 24 February 2010 7:02 p.m.
To: Stephen Thorpe; Tony.Rees at csiro.au; jim.croft at gmail.com
Cc: Taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu
Subject: RE: [Taxacom] the hurdle for all biodiv informatics initiatives

> Well, actually, I'd like to see them spending more of their
> (paid) time DOING TAXONOMY,

Agreed!  But part of "doing taxonomy" is spending time in the field.
Because I wasn't in the lab this morning doing the other part of taxonomy, I
wasn't in as good a position to make a smarmy post about that part of doing
taxonomy.

> which may or may not involve the
> field (there are plenty of undescribed taxa already in
> collections ...)

Of course, there are vastly MORE undescribed taxa in the field than there
are in collections, and one might make the reasonable predicition that a
higher percentaage of the undescribed taxa in collections will still be
available for examination a hundred years from now; compared with the
undescribed taxa in the field.

Rich
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