1
|
Lien AM, Banki O, Barik SK, Buckeridge JS, Christidis L, Cigliano MM, Conix S, Costello MJ, Hobern D, Kirk PM, Kroh A, Montgomery N, Nikolaeva S, Orrell TM, Pyle RL, Raz L, Thiele K, Thomson SA, van Dijk PP, Wambiji N, Whalen A, Zachos FE, Zhang ZQ, Garnett ST. Widespread support for a global species list with a formal governance system. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2306899120. [PMID: 37903262 PMCID: PMC10636331 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2306899120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Taxonomic data are a scientific common. Unlike nomenclature, which has strong governance institutions, there are currently no generally accepted governance institutions for the compilation of taxonomic data into an accepted global list. This gap results in challenges for conservation, ecological research, policymaking, international trade, and other areas of scientific and societal importance. Consensus on a global list and its management requires effective governance and standards, including agreed mechanisms for choosing among competing taxonomies and partial lists. However, governance frameworks are currently lacking, and a call for governance in 2017 generated critical responses. Any governance system to which compliance is voluntary requires a high level of legitimacy and credibility among those by and for whom it is created. Legitimacy and credibility, in turn, require adequate and credible consultation. Here, we report on the results of a global survey of taxonomists, scientists from other disciplines, and users of taxonomy designed to assess views and test ideas for a new system of taxonomic list governance. We found a surprisingly high degree of agreement on the need for a global list of accepted species and their names, and consistent views on what such a list should provide to users and how it should be governed. The survey suggests that consensus on a mechanism to create, manage, and govern a single widely accepted list of all the world's species is achievable. This finding was unexpected given past controversies about the merits of list governance.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Aaron M. Lien
- School of Natural Resources and the Environment, College of Agriculture, Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ85721
| | - Olaf Banki
- Species 2000, Naturalis, Leiden2300 RA, Netherlands
| | - Saroj K. Barik
- Department of Botany, North-Eastern Hill University, Shillong793022, India
| | - John S. Buckeridge
- Earth and Oceanic Systems Group, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC3001, Australia
| | - Les Christidis
- Southern Cross University, Coffs Harbour, NSW2450, Australia
| | - María Marta Cigliano
- Museo de La Plata, Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, La PlataB1900FWA, Argentina
| | - Stijn Conix
- Institut Supérieur de Philosophie, Université Catholique de Louvain, Ottignies-Louvain-La-Neuve1348, Belgium
| | - Mark John Costello
- Faculty of Biosciences and Aquaculture, Nord Universitet, Bodø8049, Norway
| | - Donald Hobern
- Atlas of Living Australia, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization Black Mountain, Canberra, ACT2601, Australia
| | - Paul M. Kirk
- Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Richmond, LondonTW9 3AB, United Kingdom
| | - Andreas Kroh
- Natural History Museum Vienna, Vienna1010, Austria
| | - Narelle Montgomery
- Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, CanberraACT2600, Australia
- Sessional Committee, Scientific Council, Convention in the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals, Bonn53113, Germany
| | - Svetlana Nikolaeva
- Department of Earth Sciences, The Natural History Museum, LondonSW7 5BD, United Kingdom
- Laboratory of Molluscs, Borissiak Paleontological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow117647, Russia
- Research Laboratory of Stratigraphy of Oil-and-Gas Bearing Reservoirs, Kazan Federal University, Kazan420008, Russia
| | - Thomas M. Orrell
- Informatics and Data Science Center, Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History, Washington, DC20013
| | | | - Lauren Raz
- Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá111321, Colombia
| | - Kevin Thiele
- Research School of Biology, Australian National University, CanberraACT2600, Australia
| | - Scott A. Thomson
- Centro de Estudos dos Quelônios da Amazônia, Manaus69055-010, Brazil
- Research Institute for the Environment and Livelihoods, Charles Darwin University, DarwinNT0909, Australia
| | | | - Nina Wambiji
- Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute, Mombasa80100, Kenya
| | - Anthony Whalen
- National Research Collections Australia, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, CanberraACT2601, Australia
| | - Frank E. Zachos
- Natural History Museum Vienna, Vienna1010, Austria
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna1030, Austria
- Department of Genetics, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein9301, South Africa
| | - Zhi-Qiang Zhang
- New Zealand Arthropod Collection, Manaaki Whenua–Landcare Research, St Johns, Auckland1072, New Zealand
- Centre for Biodiversity and Biosecurity, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Auckland1010, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Stephen T. Garnett
- Research Institute for the Environment and Livelihoods, Charles Darwin University, DarwinNT0909, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Waterhouse RM, Adam-Blondon AF, Agosti D, Baldrian P, Balech B, Corre E, Davey RP, Lantz H, Pesole G, Quast C, Glöckner FO, Raes N, Sandionigi A, Santamaria M, Addink W, Vohradsky J, Nunes-Jorge A, Willassen NP, Lanfear J. Recommendations for connecting molecular sequence and biodiversity research infrastructures through ELIXIR. F1000Res 2022; 10. [PMID: 35999898 PMCID: PMC9360911 DOI: 10.12688/f1000research.73825.2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/27/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Threats to global biodiversity are increasingly recognised by scientists and the public as a critical challenge. Molecular sequencing technologies offer means to catalogue, explore, and monitor the richness and biogeography of life on Earth. However, exploiting their full potential requires tools that connect biodiversity infrastructures and resources. As a research infrastructure developing services and technical solutions that help integrate and coordinate life science resources across Europe, ELIXIR is a key player. To identify opportunities, highlight priorities, and aid strategic thinking, here we survey approaches by which molecular technologies help inform understanding of biodiversity. We detail example use cases to highlight how DNA sequencing is: resolving taxonomic issues; Increasing knowledge of marine biodiversity; helping understand how agriculture and biodiversity are critically linked; and playing an essential role in ecological studies. Together with examples of national biodiversity programmes, the use cases show where progress is being made but also highlight common challenges and opportunities for future enhancement of underlying technologies and services that connect molecular and wider biodiversity domains. Based on emerging themes, we propose key recommendations to guide future funding for biodiversity research: biodiversity and bioinformatic infrastructures need to collaborate closely and strategically; taxonomic efforts need to be aligned and harmonised across domains; metadata needs to be standardised and common data management approaches widely adopted; current approaches need to be scaled up dramatically to address the anticipated explosion of molecular data; bioinformatics support for biodiversity research needs to be enabled and sustained; training for end users of biodiversity research infrastructures needs to be prioritised; and community initiatives need to be proactive and focused on enabling solutions. For sequencing data to deliver their full potential they must be connected to knowledge: together, molecular sequence data collection initiatives and biodiversity research infrastructures can advance global efforts to prevent further decline of Earth’s biodiversity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Robert M. Waterhouse
- Department of Ecology and Evolution and Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Vaud, 1015, Switzerland
| | | | | | - Petr Baldrian
- Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Praha, 142 20, Czech Republic
| | - Bachir Balech
- Institute of Biomembranes, Bioenergetics and Molecular Biotechnologies, CNR, Bari, 70126, Italy
| | - Erwan Corre
- CNRS/Sorbonne Université, Station Biologique de Roscoff, Roscoff, 29680, France
| | | | - Henrik Lantz
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology/NBIS, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Graziano Pesole
- Institute of Biomembranes, Bioenergetics and Molecular Biotechnologies, CNR, Bari, 70126, Italy
- Department of Biosciences. Biotechnology and Biopharmaceutics, University of Bari “A. Moro”, Bari, 70126, Italy
| | - Christian Quast
- Life Sciences & Chemistry, Jacobs University Bremen gGmbH, Bremen, Germany
| | - Frank Oliver Glöckner
- MARUM - Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, University of Bremen, Bremerhaven, 27570, Germany
- Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Center for Polar- and Marine Research, Bremerhaven, 27570, Germany
| | - Niels Raes
- NLBIF - Netherlands Biodiversity Information Facility, Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Leiden, 2300 RA, The Netherlands
| | | | - Monica Santamaria
- Institute of Biomembranes, Bioenergetics and Molecular Biotechnologies, CNR, Bari, 70126, Italy
| | - Wouter Addink
- DiSSCo - Distributed System of Scientific Collections, Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Leiden, 2300 RA, The Netherlands
| | - Jiri Vohradsky
- Laboratory of Bioinformatics, Institute of Microbiology, Prague, 142 20, Czech Republic
| | | | | | - Jerry Lanfear
- ELIXIR Hub, Wellcome Genome Campus, Cambridge, CB10 1SD, UK
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Conix S, Garnett ST, Thiele KR, Christidis L, van Dijk PP, Bánki OS, Barik SK, Buckeridge JS, Costello MJ, Hobern D, Kirk PM, Lien A, Nikolaeva S, Pyle RL, Thomson SA, Zhang ZQ, Zachos FE. Towards a global list of accepted species III. Independence and stakeholder inclusion. ORG DIVERS EVOL 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s13127-021-00496-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
|