the power of names smithsonian talk-2013-iczn_nomenclature&bioinformatics-v2
TRANSCRIPT
Nomenclature for
the Future:The power and challenges for
stable and sensible scientific
names for animals
Ellinor Michel1,2,3 Richard Pyle1,3,4
Daphne Fautin1,3,5 David Patterson1,3,6
Jon Todd2,3
1 1 Int’l Commission on Zoological NomenclatureInt’l Commission on Zoological Nomenclature 22The Natural History Museum, London UKThe Natural History Museum, London UK
33Int’l Committee on BionomenclatureInt’l Committee on Bionomenclature44Bishop Museum, HI, USABishop Museum, HI, USA
55University of Kansas, USAUniversity of Kansas, USA66Arizona State Univ, AZ, USAArizona State Univ, AZ, USA
All accumulated information of a species is tied to a scientific name, a name that serves as a link between what has been learned in the past and what we today add to the body of knowledge.
- Grimaldi & Engel, 2005
Names and the information revolution
Note: they don’t say THE scientific name (i.e., singular)
Equivalent of 318 volumes of Systema Naturae
Estimated 2-6 names for every valid (=currently considered definable and ‘real’) species
4,398 Species
Nomenclature Taxonomy
Type specimen
Is the objective physical standard for a name that anchors the name.
✔ICZN types for the Future
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✔ICZN types for the Future
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✔Types for the Future
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Scientific concept of biodiversity
Name(Scientific, common, provisional or open)
Type specimen (objective standard)
Data & Bibliography
Stability, transparency and testability
Name(Scientific, common, provisional or open)
Type specimen (objective standard)
Data & Bibliography
Archives for Scientific concepts of biodiversity
Name(Scientific, common, provisional or open)
Type specimen (objective standard)
Data & Bibliography
Stable archives
neededNatural History
Collections
Libraries
Publications
Data sources
Registration in ZooBank• Now required for e-only publications
• Has general community support
E-only publication amendment to ICZN Code published 4 Sept
ZooBank improved version released, meeting requirements of the Amendment
From zoobank.org/statistics
• Now required for e-only publications
• Has general community support
• Registration of all names and nomenclatural acts is strongly encouraged and being rapidly implemented
• Next Step: ALL names (historical and future) registered and cross-linked!
Registration in ZooBank
A name = ‘computer’ readable code that links information
A5B835CF-BB3A-4CC9-BCBD-38BA253C8374
Easy for a computer;Hard for a human
Easy for a human;Hard for a computer
“Archaeopteryx”
GenBank
HymenopteraNameServer
BDWB
CalPhotos
Namesconnecting information
ToL
GenBank
HymenopteraNameServer
BDWB
CalPhotos
“Archaeopteryx”
ToL
GenBank
HymenopteraNameServer
BDWB
CalPhotos ToL
A5B835CF-BB3A-4CC9-BCBD-38BA253C8374(= Archaeopteryx)
ToL
GenBank
HymenopteraNameServer
BDWB
CalPhotos
A Global Names ArchitectureA Global Names Architecture
A5B835CF-BB3A-4CC9-BCBD-38BA253C8374
Big Data Infrastructure
Data re-use
Data generation
Data pool
Patterson, BioSyst.EU Keynote
Zoological Names in the Future
• Global mandatory registration for all new names – next edition of the Code?
• Ultimate Goal: Registered = Available (Pyle & Michel, 2008; Minelli, 2013)
Logistics of populating ZooBank• 16,000-20,000 new animal species described 16,000-20,000 new animal species described
each yeareach year• 1.9 million described extant species1.9 million described extant species• 5-50 million estimated total extant species (R. 5-50 million estimated total extant species (R.
May, E.O. Wilson, T. Erwin)May, E.O. Wilson, T. Erwin)• Fossil species multiply this by some factorFossil species multiply this by some factor
Strategic approaches requiredStrategic approaches required Publishers highly supportive and beginning Publishers highly supportive and beginning to require ZooBank registrationto require ZooBank registration
Authors & databases contributing nowAuthors & databases contributing now
Logistics of populating ZooBankBuilding tools to streamline the capture of prospective content•Publishers pipelines with XML tools•Requested and required ZooBank registration by authors of new papers•(all e-only publications must be registered to be available)
Populating with retrospective content•Major sources – Sherborn, Hymenoptera Names Server, Hexacorallians of the World, etc.•Committed individuals – Rod Bray, Takafumi Nakano•Lists of Available Names (LANs)
ZooBank links with the Biodiversity Heritage Library
LANs – Lists of Available Names
• Critical assembly of large numbers of names
• Community debate• Commission authoritative
ruling
Article 79 - An international body of zoologists… in consultation with the Commission may propose that the Commission adopt for a major taxonomic field (or related fields) a Part of the List of Available Names in Zoology. The Commission will consider the proposal and may adopt the Part subject to the proposing body and the Commission meeting the requirements of this Article.
1)Ensures a candidate Part of the LAN is thoroughly vetted2)Pares away dubious names
• like the Approved Lists of Bacterial Names that took effect on 1 January 1980 – taxonomically recognizable as well as nomenclaturally available
3) Prevents “nomenclatural archeology”• long-forgotten names displacing accepted names
Creates a definitive nomenclatural inventory (a new zero point) for a portion of the taxonomic spectrum
Source of names for ZooBank
LANs – Lists of Available Names
Two Possibilities
to document every available name within the scope of the Part
to pare the inventory of names within the scope of the Part
STRICTLY NOMENCLATURAL
TAXONOMIC COMPONENT
www.bionomenclature.net/
Harmonising the Codes
• Names are the anchor and link for biodiversity information
exchange
• Types provide stability and meaning for taxon names
• An stable archive of names is a critical taxonomic
infrastructure
• ZooBank aims to be the authoritative source for scientific
names of animals and is growing rapidly
• The future of nomenclature includes a harmonization of
biological codes, especially through technical tools such as
ZooBank and the Global Names Architecture
Conclusions
Natural History Museum, London
Bishop Museum, Hawaii
ITCN/ITZN supporting institutions
(MNHN (France), Senckenberg
(Germany), Naturalis, RBINS
(Belgium), AAZN (USA))
The Commissioners & Trustees of
ICZN / ITZN
ICB – International Committee on
Bionomenclature
Everyone pitching in on building
ZooBank content
THANKS
Le
t’s
dis
cus
s!