If you do not know the names of things, the knowledge of them is lost, too. [...] The first step in wisdom is to know the things themselves; this notion consists in having a true idea of the objects; objects are distinguished and known by classifying them methodically and giving them appropriate names. Therefore, classification and name-giving will be the foundation of our science.”. Source: Carolus Linnaeus (May 23, 1707 -January 10, 1778).
How can we make a difference in reducing taxonomic uncertainty and making field biology more solid and broad?
Undoubtedly, the most significant source of the Earth's biological knowledge is found in natural ecosystems. However, biological collections containing new species to the taxonomy science may still be forgotten and deteriorate for more than five decades in artificial ecosystems such as herbaria and laboratories.
Within the Amazon rainforests, which are home to 16,000 tree species, the frontier of knowledge in relation to biological diversity is even wider. One recent article showed knowledge frontier from botanical records indicates the Amazon's biological diversity has an estimated delay of at least seven decades when compared to other biomes such as Savanna formations.
Last week, a colleague sent me two articles on palm tree research. One of it more focused on our biggest question within Anthropocene, one emphasized by Robert May and everyone: how many species are there on Earth, and how many of those unknown [and known] are being lost as a function of human activities? The commentary questions the accuracy of our most recent global estimate of the number of tree species on Earth.
In particular, where has our society [via avid taxonomy and ecology] contributed to untangling the recognition of known species from taxonomy science? With examples of taxonomic changes of Palmae from Amazonia, authors showed that there are fewer palm species after a given taxonomic reclassification - the taxonomic uncertainty for Arecaceae varied by an estimated order of magnitude five-fold. Meantime, it was highlighted that for other taxa, this magnitude can be eight times greater.
In this complex equation, field biology is the one great asset, it is the fundamental basis for the discovery of species - whether known or unknown by taxonomic science - in the discussion of the zero-sum game. Within diverse groups that encompass significant amounts of rare species such as s.l. Fabaceae and Sapotaceae, the challenge is amplified by the insufficient amount of information on biological diversity.
The otherwise - with one massive species discovery effort - in the frontier of discovering species means much more than specimens to compare, species to describe [including material for phylogenetic analyses], and the avid taxonomists with close ties to field biology [and its bioapplications].
Hopkins's article showed that for every 45 [units of] species, only one specimen for each known species is deposited within a biological collection such as a herbarium. So, whether the information is more abundant and widely distributed, it may be more present than just one specimen per species.
Around the 2010s, it was inferred - within one article about botanical advances in southwestern Amazon based on efforts by multiple people and their communities and institutions - that half of the species of Southwestern Amazon's Flora still remain unknown. In fact, for this reason, a dialogue echoed the sense of 8,000 species for the Acre state's flora, which means we know that nothing is known yet.
For this article, the authors used data from botanical expeditions from 2008 onwards when Acre Flora's Catalogue provided a list of 4,004 plant species, including bryophytes and other biological groups such as the Fungi kingdom. With one updated list, they showed an increase of 8,6% in relation to the Acre Flora's catalogue version.
Yet, after all, that we been done, including our delay for Amazonia and since Linnaeus' taxonomy (the ~500 years of advance in species description) - At the end of the day and after so much time of dedication and learning, how many species can we discover and how much investment in fieldwork should make the balance of knowledge-lift soar further?
Whether life and social processes are made in collectivity and interactivity, basic ingredients are practices of preservation and conservation, and the amplification of human resources and cooperation with security and equity to overcome limits. Sustainability is the fundamental principle of this flowing current.
The challenges are well known to the advancing knowledge about Earth's biological diversity. With more than 80% of species still undiscovered, we have made a huge difference with little knowledge - it is necessary to reaffirm that plants and all other forms of forest life are part of our evolutionary history and consist of survival and well-being.
Within the same consistent sustainable step - towards the horizon of the unknown frontier, it is underlined the new species rate continues to increase by a magnitude of one information unit every two days in Brazil, and the velocity of Acre flora suggests that a new species for taxonomic science could emerge for every 200 specimens [identified by avid taxonomy and ecology] in southwestern Amazon.
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| Branch with leaves and fruit of a species of the genus Dipteryx (family Leguminosae, subfamily Faboideae), which is one of the complexes including very rare species. Jamari National Forest, Southwestern Amazon, Neotropical realm. Source: D.C.Daly (Castro, W. 202). |
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