Quantifying Taxonomic Redescription: Patterns of lumping and splitting in the last 127 years of the Check-List of North American Birds

A presentation given at the AOU 2013 conference in Chicago, IL, USA on August 14.

Transcript

1. QUANTIFYING TAXONOMIC REDESCRIPTION Patterns of lumping and splitting in the last 127 years of the Check-List of North American Birds Gaurav Vaidya, CU Boulder Denis Lepage, Bird Studies Canada Hilmar Lapp, NESCent, Durham NC Robert P. Guralnick, CU Boulder
5. WHY? Padial and De la Riva, 2006: Increased splitting in amphibians.
6. HOW? A list of recognized species found in a particular region. Continually updated. Comprehensive for that region.
7. HOW? First published in 1886. 7 editions + 53 incremental updates (supplements) = 60 checklists Every 2.1 years!
9. MANUAL PROCESS From: Gallinula chloropus.
10. MANUAL PROCESS From: Gallinula chloropus. To: Gallinula galeata, Gallinula chloropus.
11. MANUAL PROCESS From: Gallinula chloropus. To: Gallinula galeata, Gallinula chloropus. In: AOU 52nd Supplement to the 7th Edition (2011)
12. MANUAL PROCESS From: Gallinula chloropus. To: Gallinula galeata, Gallinula chloropus. In: AOU 52nd Supplement to the 7th Edition (2011) Change: split (original becomes extralimital)
16. MANUAL PROCESS Evidence used
17. MANUAL PROCESS Evidence used
18. MANUAL PROCESS Evidence used vocal bill morphology mtDNA
19. MANUAL PROCESS Evidence used vocal bill morphology mtDNA Citation: AOU North American Check-list 2011
20. EVIDENCE Phenotypic evidence Morphology Behavior Genetic evidence Ecology/habitat Biogeography ...
21. List number of genetic- only changes. But we still see a lot of phenotypic evidence. Don’t say that there isn’t a trend there.
22. WHAT WE FOUND There appear to be more splits relative to lumps in the last twenty years than ever before.
23. WHAT WE FOUND There appear to be more splits relative to lumps in the last twenty years than ever before. This increase does not appear to be based exclusively on molecular data.
24. WHAT WE FOUND There appear to be more splits relative to lumps in the last twenty years than ever before. This increase does not appear to be based exclusively on molecular data. Taxonomists are using multiple types of evidence to back their taxonomic decisions.
25. WHERE WE’RE HEADED Add the species descriptions.
26. WHERE WE’RE HEADED Add the species descriptions. Find out more about what differentiates taxa which are eventually lumped and split from those which aren’t: geographical location? Original author? Size?
27. WHERE WE’RE HEADED Add the species descriptions. Find out more about what differentiates taxa which are eventually lumped and split from those which aren’t: geographical location? Original author? Size? Make our database of lumps and splits available for others to use, improve and build on.
28. THANKS!
29. REFERENCES Chesser, R. T. et al. 2011. Fifty-second supplement to the American Ornithologists’ Union Check-list of North American Birds. The Auk 128(3):600-613. Padial, J. M., and De la Riva, I. 2006. Taxonomic Inflation and the Stability of Species Lists: The Perils of Ostrich's Behavior. Systematic Biology 55 (5): 859-867 Sangster, G. 2013. The application of species criteria in avian taxonomy and its implications for the debate over species concepts. Biological Reviews, available online before publication.
30. IMAGES The Wikimedia Commons: http:// commons.wikimedia.org /wiki/ File:Gallinula_galeata_ca chinnans_Everglades.jpg http:// commons.wikimedia.org /wiki/ File:Gallinula_galeata_sa ndvicensis_ %284737186698%29.jpg Screenshots: http://avibase.bsc- eoc.org http:// www.mappinglife.org/ Cover of Checklist of North American birds from: http://www.aou.org/ checklist/north/print.php
31. QUESTIONS?