Why is taxonomy important for the study of biodiversity?
Knapp: If biodiversity is the study of the other organisms on the planet, the first information we need is an inventory of what’s out there. As far as I’m concerned, one of the really big unanswered scientific questions is with what other species do we share this planet? The science of taxonomy is used to try to answer that question. Taxonomy has two strands; it documents and describes diversity, and it determines the relationships between different taxa, or sectors of diversity. Taxonomy is used, for example, to identify the relationships between different plant families, or to understand the relationships between chimpanzees, orang-utans and humans. Taxonomists also describe new species of plants and animals, from all sorts of habitats. Both of those strands are essential to the study of biodiversity; before biodiversity and its conservation can be assessed, it’s necessary to know what species live where and how they fit into the larger framework. Fathom: When will taxonomists finish
