[Taxacom] Why Taxonomy does NOT matter

[David Campbell]

Correct taxon identification is very important for any field of
biology that works on organisms not all directly sourced from
standardized cultures.  Different species typically have somewhat
different biology.  If you are doing experiments in toxicology, or
ecological experiments, or behavioral experiments, etc. and you mix
different species, it can screw up your results-you are introducing
additional uncontrolled variables.  (Molecular phylogenetics also has
problems if species aren't identified correctly).

There was an incident a while ago when some animal rights group
"rescued" a bunch of freshwater turtles and dumped them in the ocean.
Not good for their osmotic balance!

-- 
Dr. David Campbell
The Paleontological Research Institution
1259 Trumansburg Road
Ithaca NY 14850