Plant and Fungi research
- What does a taxonomist do?
- Why is taxonomy important?
- How are new species documented?
- Discovering and Documenting the Queensland Flora
- Tracking new names and taxa
What does a taxonomist do?
A new species of Commersonia discovered by Gordon Guymer. Photo: Gordon Guymer.
Plant and fungi systematics is the study of the diversity of life and the relationships among species through time. Taxonomists describe, name and classify new genera, species, subspecies and varieties, and improve existing classifications, descriptions and identification tools. New species are described and named according to a set of internationally accepted rules governing the scientific naming of plants. Queensland Herbarium botanists describe on average more than 30 species new to science each year.
Taxonomists also provide identifications and taxonomic information to the public, AQIS, Police, Health, governments and public authorities and agencies. They keep the names of plants up-to-date in legislation, curate the collections and interpret published research findings.
Why is taxonomy important?
Taxonomy identifies and documents biological diversity. This classification of the living world underpins legislation, guides conservation efforts, and provides critical information for the management and sustainable use of species. Each species has a unique scientific name which is recognised internationally. The scientific name is the key to finding information about that species.
Information on weediness, toxicity, and status under legislation is constantly required by a wide range of industries, governments and people. Higher level classification can assist with weed risk and toxicity assessments where little information is known about a species. Documentation of biodiversity is essential information for the allocation of protected areas, and the management and monitoring of threatened species and communities.
Understanding biodiversity and how it is changing through time and as a result of human activity and climate change assists in the formulation of responses to these threats, along with the challenge of achieving environmental sustainability.
How are new species documented?
Before new species are able to be formally named, the taxonomy of the group must be researched. First, a taxonomist will look closely at all of the available specimens and sort them into what they believe to be taxa (species, subspecies or varieties). Both visual and microscopic characters must be examined, existing literature consulted, and, where possible, live plants observed in the field. Molecular, anatomical and cytological characters are often used to support and shape the understanding of the relationships and differences between taxa.
Next, the currently existing names have to be correctly assigned. New and existing names are assigned to taxa according the rules of the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature (ICBN). Type specimens (vouchers for a scientific name) may need to be borrowed from another herbarium in order to be confident of the correct application of names. When a description of the new species is published it must include a diagnosis in Latin of how this taxon differs from its relatives. A type specimen must also be assigned to each new name and an illustration is usually included. This summary of the taxonomy must be published in a form that is recognised under the ICBN. Supporting evidence such as evolutionary hypotheses, molecular, cladistic and other analyses may also be included, or published separately.
Discovering and Documenting the Queensland Flora
There are more than 8,400 known native species of vascular plants (flowering plants, conifers, cycads, ferns and fern allies). A further 1,215 alien species are now established in the landscape. Botanists, researchers, enthusiasts and volunteers are discovering new native species for Queensland at the rate of more than 65 per year. New alien species are also being discovered: their establishment in the landscape is occurring at the rate of 10 per year. The diversity of the non-vascular plant flora (mosses, liverworts and hornworts) along with that of algae, lichens and fungi, is still poorly known and thousands of new species are waiting to be discovered in these groups.
Queensland Herbarium botanists are publishing new species, taxonomies and flora accounts in priority vascular groups such as Poaceae, Cyperaceae, Myrtaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Fabaceae, Solanaceae, Rubiaceae and many rainforest families. Fungi are also in the spotlight, with research on the coralloid fungi indicating dozens of new species in this group alone. The Queensland Mycological Society is working with the Queensland Herbarium to discover and promote the fungi diversity in Queensland. The Queensland Herbarium's scientific journal Austrobaileya contains the formal descriptions of many of these new species, along with the results of much of the research carried out by Queensland taxonomists and researchers.
Tracking new names and taxa
The results of all this research leads to many improvements in the understanding of species and groups of species, and how they are related to each other. These advances in understanding of the natural world mean that previous names often change and new names are constantly being added. Legislation such as the Nature Conservation Act (1992) and the Vegetation Management Act (1999) are all based on species as described and identified by taxonomists, and need to be updated regularly to reflect the currently accepted names and taxonomies.
How do you keep your databases, lists and publications up-to-date when names are changing on a daily basis? The Queensland Herbarium publishes a list of new names and taxa each year in the Queensland Herbarium Achievements, a free publication. A five year compilation of New Names and Taxa 2002-2007 (census to census) is also available.
Last updated: 17 March 2009