The Silent Extinction of Species and Taxonomists—An Appeal to Science Policymakers and Legislators

Löbl, Ivan; Klausnitzer, Bernhard; Hartmann, Matthias; Krell, Frank-Thorsten

doi:10.3390/d15101053

Cited by 51 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 128 publications

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“…We agree with their assessment that mapping important biodiversity areas must be upscaled to ensure nations capture insect diversity. Perhaps now is good time for taxonomy to step up, increasingly engage in modern technologies and qualify as big science (34, 35)?…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

What do we know about the missing millions of Earth’s insect species and can we improve their collection: evidence from bark beetles?

Stork,

Boyle,

Wardhaugh

et al. 2024

Preprint

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Only 20% of the estimated five million species of insects on Earth are named despite over 240 years of taxonomy. Yet insects are poorly represented in protected area assessments, and insect declines are of concern globally. Here we explore how to increase the discovery of new species and understanding of this group through analysis of 10,097 tropical rainforest bark beetles (Scolytinae) from eight different ecological studies using beetles between 2000 and 2018 in the Australian Wet Tropics. Of the 107 species identified, 58 are undescribed: an increase of 35% on the 166 species known from Australia. As hypothesised, new species are significantly smaller, less abundant and less widespread than described species making them more extinction prone than named species. Rarefaction indicates doubling sampling would increase the number of species by 17. Flight Interception Traps (FIT) collected 84% of individuals and 98% of species confirming the effectiveness of a single sampling method for some beetles. Increased locations and collection from the canopy may sample further species rather than additional collecting methods. Scolytines are relatively well studied with a cadre of taxonomists at the forefront of using modern methods to resolve formerly intractable groups. These new species are more likely to be named than others in many other beetle groups where taxonomy has largely stalled. To increase species description rates and to avoid most species becoming extinct before being named, we call on taxonomists to use new character systems provided by DNA methods and to look at working with Artificial Intelligence tools.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

What do we know about the missing millions of Earth’s insect species and can we improve their collection: evidence from bark beetles?

Stork,

Boyle,

Wardhaugh

et al. 2024

Preprint

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show abstract

“…All groups that were better represented by MOCNESS contained species that were not present in the genetic reference libraries. There is a clear need for improved verified reference libraries for abundant pelagic invertebrate groups (e.g., malacostracan crustaceans, cnidarians) to improve our ability to reliably assign species-level identifications to both specimens and sequences [ 81 , 82 ]. Recent efforts have greatly improved regional reference libraries for epipelagic and coastal fishes in the CCE [ 83 ], but there has been little focus on invertebrate groups relative to their high taxonomic diversity and abundance across the water column [ 2 , 4 , 74 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using low volume eDNA methods to sample pelagic marine animal assemblages

Dan,

Portner,

Bowman

et al. 2024

PLoS ONE

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Environmental DNA (eDNA) is an increasingly useful method for detecting pelagic animals in the ocean but typically requires large water volumes to sample diverse assemblages. Ship-based pelagic sampling programs that could implement eDNA methods generally have restrictive water budgets. Studies that quantify how eDNA methods perform on low water volumes in the ocean are limited, especially in deep-sea habitats with low animal biomass and poorly described species assemblages. Using 12S rRNA and COI gene primers, we quantified assemblages comprised of micronekton, coastal forage fishes, and zooplankton from low volume eDNA seawater samples (n = 436, 380–1800 mL) collected at depths of 0–2200 m in the southern California Current. We compared diversity in eDNA samples to concurrently collected pelagic trawl samples (n = 27), detecting a higher diversity of vertebrate and invertebrate groups in the eDNA samples. Differences in assemblage composition could be explained by variability in size-selectivity among methods and DNA primer suitability across taxonomic groups. The number of reads and amplicon sequences variants (ASVs) did not vary substantially among shallow (<200 m) and deep samples (>600 m), but the proportion of invertebrate ASVs that could be assigned a species-level identification decreased with sampling depth. Using hierarchical clustering, we resolved horizontal and vertical variability in marine animal assemblages from samples characterized by a relatively low diversity of ecologically important species. Low volume eDNA samples will quantify greater taxonomic diversity as reference libraries, especially for deep-dwelling invertebrate species, continue to expand.

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“…The discovery of this new species among the specimens incorporated in the Kew Herbarium (K) supports previous evidence that the availability of, and ready access to, well-managed herbaria are important factors for completing our knowledge of the species on our planet (Bebber et al 2010;Brown et al 2023;Onana et al 2017). However more trained taxonomists are needed to work on these collections, as well as in the field (Löbl et al 2023;Sutcliffe & O'Reilly 2010).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…2017). However more trained taxonomists are needed to work on these collections, as well as in the field (Löbl et al 2023; Sutcliffe & O’Reilly 2010).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A new cloud forest treeLychnodiscus bali(Sapindaceae), Critically Endangered from the Bali-Ngemba Forest reserve, N.W. Region, Cameroon

Cheek,

Onana,

Lachenaud

2023

Preprint

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SummaryWe describeLychnodiscus bali(Sapindaceae) a new species to science, from the Bali Ngemba Forest Reserve of NW Region Cameroon, the last major remnant of cloud forest in the Bamenda Highlands of Cameroon, recently evidenced as a Tropical Important Plant Area (TIPA or IPA). Confined on current evidence to upper submontane forest, the species is threatened by expanding habitat clearance for farms and is assessed as Critically Endangered. A small tree, attaining 3–4 m height, it is the first new species to be added to this Guineo-Congolian tree genus in 50 years, the third recorded from Cameroon, and takes the number of species in the genus to eight. It has the highest known altitudinal range (1700 – 1950 m alt.), of any species of the genus.Previously identified asLychnodiscus grandifolius, the new species differs in the shorter length of the distal leaflets (12 – 18 cm vs 22 – 39 cm long), in the abaxial surface lacking glands (vs glands flat and conspicuous), tertiary nerves hairy (vs glabrous), flowers at anthesis 8 – 11 mm long (vs 5 – 7 mm long).Lychnodiscus baliis described, illustrated and its extinction risk assessment as Critically Endangered is presented. We discuss its discovery in the context of other recently discovered and highly threatened or even extinct plant species in the Cameroon Highlands, and the importance of their conservation.We present an updated key to the identification of the species of the genus,and discuss its classification in the context of recent molecular phylogenomic studies. Previously placed in Cupanieae by Radlkofer, the authors contend thatLychnodiscusshould now be placed in the reconstituted Nepheliaeae in the revised 2021 intrafamilial classification of Buerki et al., probably close to the generaAporrhizaandLaccodiscus. However, until the genus is included in molecular studies this cannot be confirmed and its sister relationship remains speculative.

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The Silent Extinction of Species and Taxonomists—An Appeal to Science Policymakers and Legislators

Cited by 51 publications

References 128 publications

What do we know about the missing millions of Earth’s insect species and can we improve their collection: evidence from bark beetles?

What do we know about the missing millions of Earth’s insect species and can we improve their collection: evidence from bark beetles?

Using low volume eDNA methods to sample pelagic marine animal assemblages

A new cloud forest treeLychnodiscus bali(Sapindaceae), Critically Endangered from the Bali-Ngemba Forest reserve, N.W. Region, Cameroon

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