v4i1.58

ISSN: 1800-427X (print)
eISSN: 1800-427X (online)
DOI:10.47605/tapro.v4i1.58

Published date: 28 May 2012
Pp. 1–4

EDITORIAL : How embarrassing can it get? Or: Taxonomy undermined

Sven O Kullander
Section Editor: Taprobanica, the journal of Asian Biodiversity

Whereas biological systematics and taxonomy are probably about the same kind of scientific enterprise, they were separated by Ernst Mayr in his classical text book, and taxonomy became cemented as a subset of systematics. A little over 40 years have passed since these definitions were expressed, and the work in which they appeared has become obsolete with the appearance of new technology and new philosophy about what are the fundamental aspects of species and higher taxa, especially with the development of phylogenetic systematics and facility of studying factors of inheritance at molecular level. Nevertheless, biological systematics remains the fundamental powerful scientific domain for understanding and expressing biological diversity, and keeps its definitions.