| Author | Quentin Wheeler |
| Language | English |
| ISBN | 9781032480527 |
| Publisher | Routledge |
| Pages | 246 |
| Size | 156 x 234 x 18 mm |
| Format | Paperback |
| Images | - |
| Year published | 2023 |
Species, Science and Society presents an engaging and accessible examination of the role of systematic biology in species exploration and biodiversity conservation.
Our planet and systematic biology are at a crossroads. Millions of species face an imminent threat of extinction and with knowledge of only a fraction of earth's species, we are unprepared to respond. Species, Science and Society explains what is at stake if we continue to ignore the traditional mission of systematics. Rejecting claims that it is too late to document earth's species, that molecular evidence is sufficient, and that comparative morphology and the grand traditions of systematics are outdated, this book makes a compelling argument for a taxonomic renaissance. The book challenges readers to rethink assumptions about systematics. Shattering myths and misconceptions and clarifying the role of systematics in confronting mass extinction, it hopes to inspire a new generation of systematists. Readers are given a deeply personal view of the mission, motivations and rewards of systematic biology. Written in narrative style with passion, wit and optimism, it is the first book to question the growing dominance of molecular data, defend descriptive taxonomy and propose a mission to discover, describe and classify all species. Our evolutionary heritage, the fate of society and the future of the planet depend on what we do next.
This book will be of great interest to academics, researchers and professionals working in systematics, taxonomy and biodiversity conservation, as well as students with a basic background in biology.
Contents
Part I — Overview
1. A Little about Molecules
2. Scientific Malpractice
3. The Science of Species
4. The Art of Survival
4. Cosmology of the Life Sciences
5. Choices
6. Everything You Always Wanted to Know about Taxonomy, But Were Afraid to Ask
7. A Science Misunderstood Greatly
8. The Species-scape
9. The Illusion of Knowledge
10. Morphology Without Apology
11. The Inventory Imperative
12. Other than That, Mrs. Lincoln, How Was the Play?
Part II — A Crisis of Crises
13. Extinction
14. Systematics Under Siege
15. The Nature Gap
16. Options for a Sustainable Future
Part III — Solutions
17. Taxonomic Renaissance
18. A Planetary-Scale Species Inventory
19. Hall of the Holocene
20. Shameless Self-Promotion
21. The Evolution of Evolutionary Economics
