Memorandum by the Botanical Society of
the British Isles
The Botanical Society of the British Isles (BSBI)
has about 3000 members and combines of a body of professional
scientific expertise with an active and committed corpus of skilled
amateurs. It promotes the study of the British and Irish flora
by supporting and conducting research into taxonomy, biogeography,
ecology and conservation.
THE STATE
OF SYSTEMATICS
AND TAXONOMY
RESEARCH
— Taxonomy: the science and practice
of classification, including identification & nomenclature.
— Systematics: scientific study of the
diversity of organisms & of their relationships—a wider
definition.
1a) What is the state of systematics research
and taxonomy in the UK?
Confined largely to major botanic gardens and
museums; almost extinct in universities, remaining in a few places
only, eg Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial College, Edinburgh, Reading
and Leicester. Even in these places, in order to attract funding,
the discipline is often represented by particular offshoots, eg
conservation genetics, population biology, cytogenetics &
genome organisation, rather than by taxonomy or systematics themselves.
1b) What are the current research priorities?
At present it is difficult to identify a nationally
agreed set of priorities, instead each institution or organisation
follows its own agenda (some notable collaborations notwithstanding).
In Britain we need research into the numerous
taxonomically difficult groups, many of which are of conservation
or ecological importance, and which have long posed problems but
for which there are now approaches that would lead to a significantly
improved understanding.
Globally, we need:
— a species inventory, which means
writing a) monographs, b) Floras of regions that are under-explored,
and c) identification keys.
— an understanding of species diversity
and evolutionary relationships, especially but not exclusively
in the context of environmental concerns and social needs, such
as climate change, medicine, food and industrial applications.
Although making significant advances, there are major gaps in
building a natural relationship of all life on earth, extending
to "non-life" including viruses, prions and other infective
particles. There is weak understanding of the nature and consequences
of hybrids and horizontal character transfer in most groups, and
analytical techniques are inadequate.
— a better understanding of characters—what
and how can characters be measured, what is primitive, what is
advanced or derived, what and how are they controlled by genes?
1c) What are the barriers, if any, to delivering
these priorities?
There is a widespread view that the solution
of taxonomic problems entails little in the way of original ideas
or novel research, merely the application of trusted methods that
have already been developed. Much taxonomic research is thus seen
as derivative rather than innovative, and consequently unworthy,
even ineligible, for funding.
Firstly, this is a specious perception and one
only has to look at the enormous advances, made almost exclusively
in major national institutions in Britain and in universities
outside Britain, in our understanding of phylogeny at all
levels (reflected in recent taxonomies) to see that taxonomic
research can be innovative. See also Q6. Secondly, it has meant
that the writing of monographs and Floras, although relatively
inexpensive, is scarcely carried out outside the major nationally
funded institutions. The very products that are so sorely needed
are deliberately left unfunded in universities because the methodology
is regarded as derivative. The absence of this work from universities
owes much to the vicissitudes of the Research Assessment Exercise
which penalises those taxonomists whose interests and skills lie
in this area: first class taxonomic products in the form of monographs,
Floras and identification keys, receive scant recognition because
they are not produced on the backs of big grants. One consequence
of this is that taxonomists move out of this area into a much
broader area of biodiversity research in the hope of attracting
funding. Another consequence is that young taxonomists are now
hardly ever recruited into university departments.
2a) What is the role of systematics and taxonomy
and, in particular, in what way do they contribute to research
areas such as biodiversity conservation, ecosystem services and
climate change?
The role of taxonomy and systematics is to understand
and catalogue the nature, diversity and relationships of life
on earth. Today this requires rigorous scientific measurements
exploiting curated archival and new collections, underpinned by
comprehensive databases feeding the requirements of users. Methods
inherent in making the measurements range over the widest possible
range from satellite sensing at the ecosystem, continental and
ocean scale, to nano-measurement using molecular biology and electron
microscopes. The people, or increasingly research groups, providing
these data require extensive and broad skills of techniques and
interpretation, starting with a foundation of formal training
but invariably honed by experience going well beyond a "job
specification", requiring recognition and support of their
work of decades. Users of taxonomy and systematics information
and expertise range up to the highest intergovernmental levels—for
example, What is this disease? What is being traded? What is dying?—where
the consequences of having an inadequate or wrong taxonomy can
have globally or regionally catastrophic consequences. For every
individual biologist, whether studying disease, physiology, genomics
or the areas above (biodiversity, conservation, ecosystem services,
climate change), a framework of taxonomy and systematics is vital.
Biodiversity conservation is underpinned by knowledge of genetic
variation patterns at a range of levels from phylum to individual
and gene, ie taxonomy & systematics. Ecosystem services use
species as their currency—taxonomy & systematics. Climate
change will impact on both extinction and speciation rates, as
well as on geographical distribution patterns. None of these can
be properly understood or even researched unless an adequate taxonomy
is in place. In many of the above areas, the UK has international
treaty obligations, fulfilment of which necessarily depends on
a sound taxonomy.
2b) How important is this contribution and
how is it recognised in the funding process?
n/a
2c) How is systematics integrated in other
areas of research?
See (2a).
3a) Does the way in which systematics research
is organised and co-ordinated best meet the needs of the user
community?
Systematics research is not coordinated on a
national level. The needs of the user community are usually discussed
between the directly interested parties. In other words it is
usually all done largely on an ad hoc basis.
3b) What progress has been made in setting
up a body to lead on this?
There are important learned societies such as
the Systematics Association and the Linnean Society, but they
are constrained by insufficient funds. They have nothing like
what is required either to set an agenda or stimulate concerted
research. In this respect the government needs to take a lead
role (see also Q4b).
3c) What contribution do the leading systematic
research institutions make both nationally and internationally?
The leading systematic research institutions
are largely the national botanic gardens and museums. They have
a world-class track record at research following their own particular
agendas, but they do not take on a leadership role in the national,
ie British, context, in terms of setting research priorities,
facilitating training, etc.
4a) What level of funding would be needed
to meet the need for taxonomic information now and in the future?
This question can only be answered properly
following consultation with all the interested parties. Current
funding opportunities are widely scattered over a variety of organisations
and it is not possible to deduce how much money actually is given
to projects that have an emphasis on taxonomy or systematics.
In my experience, however, very little is actually awarded to
taxonomic projects in the strict sense, ie monographs, revisions
and Floras/Faunas, and yet these remain some of the most valuable
and useful products, with a very long shelf-life.
4b) Who should be providing this funding?
What is needed is a Systematics Research Council,
funded primarily by government, but also contributed to by the
major learned societies and other smaller bodies. Current sources
are very diverse and most individually do not add up to much:
there is a need for greater synergy to achieve critical mass.
Given an appropriate budget, such a Council could effectively
set the agenda and galvanise taxonomic and systematic research
in this country.
5a) How does funding in other countries compare?
n/a
5b) Could there be more international collaboration?
If so, what form should this collaboration take and how might
it be achieved?
International research collaborations are fairly
commonplace, with most practising taxonomists and systematists
having at least one overseas partner in some project or another.
Further development of such arrangements are best left to individuals
or institutions, unless any national taxonomic agenda that might
emerge suggests otherwise.
Where there could be more international collaboration
is in the area of supervision of overseas PhD placements, funded
by the foreign government; the intention here would be to help
foster research skills in the foreign country. At the moment there
is no co-ordinated approach to this, with each institution following
its own policy.
6) What impact have developments in DNA sequencing,
genomics and other new technologies had on systematics research?
In what way has systematics embraced new technologies and how
can these research areas interact successfully and efficiently?
Molecular biology has now become almost routine
in many areas of systematics research, whether it be for phylogeny
reconstruction, analysis of genetic variation on a population
level, or in the context of evolution & development (evodevo)
studies. It has also revolutionised certain aspects of species
identification, eg mycorhhiza species. In the last context the
prospect of portable DNA analysers allowing species identification
in the field is on the horizon. It is doubtful, however, that
morphologically-based identification will be superseded in any
major way (except in special cases): taxonomists and their identification
skills and products will continue to be needed.
DATA COLLECTION,
MANAGEMENT, MAINTENANCE
AND DISSEMINATION
7a) Does the way in which taxonomic data is
collected, managed and maintained best meet the needs of the user
community?
The botanical user community is well served
by a variety of databases, probably the most useful of which are
the web-based index of published plant names (IPNI), and list
of scientific publications (Kew Record). There are many other
important databases that contain a variety of information, usually
prepared by individual researchers and to be found on their institution
websites; some learned societies also make it their job to disseminate
taxonomic information eg the Botanical Society of the British
Isles database. Several Floras are also available as CD versions.
But effort is largely ad hoc and reliant on individual initiative.
Raw, specimen-based observations and measurements,
however, are not usually generally available. The taxonomic/systematic
community itself would benefit enormously from having compatible
databases containing original observations freely available.
7b) What is the state of local and national
recording schemes?
Local and national recording schemes are almost
entirely the province of the amateur enthusiast, who is frequently
as, or better, skilled at identification than many a professional.
These amateurs are typically members of a learned society that
coordinates their activities. The taxonomic scope of their work
is uneven, with many groups being covered quite well, eg land
plants, but others, eg some invertebrate groups, not covered at
all. Major surveys of vital importance in the field of environmental
monitoring have been produced by cohorts of volunteers—thousands
of man-hours work, effectively free of charge, eg the New Atlas
of the British and Irish flora, a recently published project
of the Botanical Society of the British Isles. Biological records
produced by these specialist societies are posted on the National
Biodiversity Network (NBN) website for all to see. It is grossly
unfair that funding rarely devolves to these highly productive
societies (birds are one exception), despite the fact that they
are the ones who generate and interpret the vast bulk of the data.
The role of the NERC-funded Biological Records
Centre is important in helping with computerised data handling,
although societies are becoming increasingly sophisticated in
what they can achieve by themselves with their own networks of
digitised databases.
8a) What is the role of the major regional
museums and collections?
Major regional museums and collections are an
essential archive providing essential reference material (specimens)
for biological records. Preserved specimens are a vital historical
record of our biological past. As such they contribute to an important
base line for studies designed to monitor the effects of climate
change. In a botanical context, many smaller herbaria lie packed
away in boxes, scarcely to be seen and largely undocumented (see
Q8b). These are especially vulnerable: fortunately the larger
museums often provide a safe home for these smaller collections
that might otherwise be thrown away. For example, of the 602 herbaria
present in Britain after 1945, 97 have been destroyed or cannot
be traced, 230 have been transferred to existing institutions,
the whereabouts of 106 are currently unknown, leaving 169 extant
(unpublished, not yet completed BSBI survey, 2007/8).
8b) How are taxonomic collections curated
and funded?
In Universities, curators typically are appointed
primarily as lecturers and researchers, with an expectation that
curatorial duties can somehow be fitted in. In museums, outside
the major national and regional centres, the picture is patchy.
Owing to the exigencies of local authority funding, many collections
are often not curated at all and lie packed away in boxes,.
9a) What progress has been made in developing
a web-based taxonomy?
Far more could be accomplished here. Initiatives
such as DELTA and LUCID, developed in Australia, are important.
9b) How do such initiatives fit in with meeting
demand for systematics and taxonomy information?
Demand for detailed taxonomc information is
usually met by direct contact with the researcher concerned. The
Botanical Society of the British Isles also strives to make as
much data as possible available freely on its website. See also
Q7a.
9c) How do UK-led initiatives fit in with
international initiatives and is there sufficient collaboration?
n/a
10) What needs to be done to ensure that web-based
taxonomy information is of high quality, reliable and user-friendly?
This is surely a question for resolution by
the taxonomic community and its user-groups, rather than a matter
of policy. We would all agree with the goal.
11a) How does the taxonomic community engage
with the non-taxonomic community?
Organisations like the Botanical Society of
the British Isles provide a focus for the products of taxonomic
work. The members are avid consumers of Floras, field guides and
identification keys. Such natural history society members have
the necessary field experience to provide useful feedback to taxonomists
regarding the utility of these products, although there is no
formal mechanism by which this is achieved. Government organisations
like Defra also use taxonomic products such as species checklists
in order to plan their environmental strategy, but they are not
commissioned.
11b) What role do field studies play?
Field studies provide the context in which the
Floras, field guides and identification keys can be tested. They
also provide a valuable opportunity for the research worker to
see organisms living and growing in the wild, rather than simply
as dead museum specimens or bits of DNA in a tube.
SKILLS BASE
12) What are the numbers and ages of trained
taxonomists working in UK universities and other organisations?
The remaining taxonomists in universities are
largely over 50 years old, but I know of no recent statistics.
In the major national botanic gardens and museums the situation
is different: there appears to be a steady flow of young talent
coming through, but chiefly on soft money; permanent posts are
still in short supply. A survey of taxonomic expertise and needs
in Britain would be worth doing, simply to bring us up to date
with what is actually happening in the community. A programme
of surveys repeated at appropriate intervals would be even better
-perhaps a web-based form allowing self-registration is all that
is needed?
13a) What is the state of training and education
in systematics and taxonomy?
Virtually none in either schools or at undergraduate
level. Where it exists, it is largely restricted to isolated modules.
There is, however, some provision at post-graduate level: there
are M.Sc. courses in taxonomy at RBG Edinburgh/University of Edinburgh
(plants & fungi), Imperial College/NHM (biology), and University
of Reading (plants & fungi). There are also several other
post-graduate courses that involve taxonomy in some indirect way
but not as a primary focus. The decline in systematics training
at undergraduate level is an extreme example of the decline seen
generally in whole-organism biology. Universities nowadays react
to market forces and the decline reflects in part a lack of interest
by school students. This in turn is a consequence of the curriculum
they have to study: botany at secondary school, for example, is
typically restricted to the biochemistry of photosynthesis, which
must be among the biggest of turn-offs ever for the adolescents
of today; no wonder there are only seven botany degrees offered
in Britain. More imaginative teaching of whole-organism biology
at school would help matters.
13b) Are there any gaps in capacity? 13c)
Is the number of taxonomists in post, and those that are being
trained, sufficient to meet current and future needs across all
taxonomic subject areas?
Species identification skills and other field
skills are scarcely taught at undergraduate level in universities.
This has major consequences for conservation organisations and
ecological consultants who find it almost impossible to hire adequately
trained staff, either now or in the foreseeable future. Research
posts in taxonomy, however, are few: production of systematics
research-oriented graduates needs to be balanced against the likely
number of available jobs.
1 February 2008
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