The role of taxonomy

The specimens taxonomists collect and study can tell us a great deal about patterns of biological diversity. Comparing recently collected specimens to specimens collected tens or even hundreds of years ago can tell us how these patterns have changed.

How taxonomists help conserve biodiversity

Monitoring climate change

When taxonomists collect specimens they note down information on where they have been collected from. The global distributions of many species are expected to change as a result of climate change.

Comparing information on where a specimen of a particular species was found in the past, with where it is found now, can help determine whether this is happening, and how fast species are shifting their distributions.

Identifying invasive alien species

The UK is home to many non-native species of plants and animals. These include wallabies from Australia, ring-necked parakeets from Africa, and Leyland Cypress, a hybrid of two North American tree species. Many of these pose no threat to the UK's native biodiversity.

Some, however, reproduce and spread rapidly in the absence of their normal predators. These invasive species threaten native species and their habitats, and are capable of causing damage to economic interests such as forestry, agriculture and infrastructure. Invasive non-native species have been identified as one of the major causes of biodiversity loss worldwide.

Taxonomists help combat this threat by identifying new species that have appeared in the UK and assessing whether they are likely to become invasive.

Invasive species such as the zebra mussel are easy to identify in their adult form, but identifying their larvae requires a skilled taxonomic specialist. Similarly the western flower thrip, a tiny insect that transmits plant viruses and is resistant to chemicals, can only be identified using a microscope.

Combating pests and diseases

Taxonomists study the relationships between similar species, and between different species that are connected, such as predators and prey species.

This can help identify which individual species of a group of similar species is responsible for spreading a disease, eg which species of mosquito spreads malaria.

It can also help identify the predators of invasive non-native species, eg the parasitic wasps that prey on the weevils and bugs that damage crops.