The use of taxonomic relationships among species in applied ecological research: Baseline, steps forward and future challenges

Stanislao Bevilacqua,Paul J Somerfield,Antonio Terlizzi,Marti J Anderson,Karl I Ugland

doi:10.1111/aec.13061

Abstract

AbstractTaxonomy is more than a mere exercise of nomenclature and classification of biological diversity: it profiles the identity of species by investigating their biological and ecological traits. Taxonomy is intimately related to ecology which, in turn, cannot be a mere exercise in describing ecological patterns, but instead requires deep knowledge of species’ biological structures, roles, interactions and functions. Thus, the study of taxonomic and phylogenetic relatedness of species is of paramount importance in ecological research, enabling insights into potential evolutionary patterns and processes, allowing a more comprehensive view of biodiversity, and providing opportunities to improve the assessment and monitoring of ecological changes in time and space. The work of K. Robert (‘Bob’) Clarke forged new pathways in this direction, providing new ideas and statistical tools to include and exploit taxonomic relationships in applied marine ecological studies and beyond, also inspiring the next generation of ecologists. In this short review, we synthesise the application and development of these tools and concepts in marine biodiversity research over the last three decades and suggest future pathways in this evolving field.

Highlights

The initial fundamental contribution of taxonomy and systematics to ecology was to name and classify units of living organisms, allowing ecologists critically to identify the objects of their research
We summarise methods exploiting taxonomic relatedness in applied ecological research, the salient scientific messages arising from their use and innovative applications of these concepts to improve biodiversity monitoring and assessment
Clarke and Warwick (2001) proposed a further diversity index, Variation in Taxonomic Distinctness (Λ+), which captures the idea of how variable the taxonomic distances are, reflecting the degree of evenness in the distribution of species among higher-level taxa

Summary

Introduction

The initial fundamental contribution of taxonomy and systematics to ecology was to name and classify units of living organisms, allowing ecologists critically to identify the objects of their research. The use of taxonomic levels higher than species (e.g. identifications to genera or families) in multivariate community analysis can be sufficient and effective in routine monitoring and impact assessment (Warwick 1993).

Results

Conclusion