[Taxacom] Why Taxonomy does NOT matter

[Richard Jensen]

I thought the answer was obvious - a great many biologists (especially 
those working in or near systematics) have been convinced that 
classifications, to be useful and "scientific", must reflect phylogeny.  
Given that these are, for the most part, the people who evaluate funding 
proposals, it comes as no surprise that they will prefer proposals 
emphasizing a new (preferably molecularly derived) phylogeny for taxon 
X.  Some one proposing a new study of taxon X emphasizing overall 
patterns of character similarity and/or utility for allowing easier 
identification of the members of taxon X will have little chance of 
getting funded.  Why, because it's not sufficiently scientific and 
cutting-edge.

Dick J

On 4/18/2011 3:15 PM, Karl Magnacca wrote:
> Richard Jensen wrote:
>> While phylogenetic relationships may be important for the first,
>> it is often the case that the rest of the world is not focused on
>> that kind of relationship.  As I have noted before, what my
>> non-taxonomist colleagues are most interested in is not, What
>> species are, phylogenetically, most closely related to the species
>> I am interested in?; rather, the most important question in their
>> minds is, What species are most likely to be mistaken for (and
>> vice-versa) the species I am interested in?
> But this begs the question - why is it that phylogenetics is easier
> to get funding for than taxonomy alone, when the latter is more
> useful and produces longer-lasting results?  My experience has been
> that (in response to Fabian's original post) most non-taxonomy
> people (particularly conservation biologists) will gush extensively
> about how important taxonomy is and how it should be supported
> better, but funding agencies nevertheless don't come through with
> the money for it; and almost any taxonomic work has to be tied to a
> phylogenetic study in order to get funded.
>
> Kar
> =====================
> Karl Magnacca
> Postdoctoral Researcher
> University of Hawaii-Hilo
>

-- 
Richard J. Jensen, Professor
Department of Biology
Saint Mary's College
Notre Dame, IN 46556
Tel: 574-284-4674