The integrative future of taxonomy.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Taxonomy is the biological discipline that identifies, describes, classifies and names extant and extinct species and other taxa. Nowadays, species taxonomy is confronted with the challenge to fully incorporate new theory, methods and data from disciplines that study the origin, limits and evolution of species.

Results

Integrative taxonomy has been proposed as a framework to bring together these conceptual and methodological developments. Here we review perspectives for an integrative taxonomy that directly bear on what species are, how they can be discovered, and how much diversity is on Earth.

Conclusions

We conclude that taxonomy needs to be pluralistic to improve species discovery and description, and to develop novel protocols to produce the much-neede

SUBMITTER: Padial JM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2890416 | biostudies-literature | 2010 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature