[Taxacom] Taxonomic output study

[Ken Kinman]

Hi Stephen and Bob,      The biggest problem with phylogenetics for phylogenetics sake is that way too much of it concerns herpetology, and dinosaurs in particular.  Even if they are coming up with accurate phylogenies (some of which I question), they are heavily concentrated on animals that are long extinct.  Such priorities are terribly short-sighted.          I'd like to see some of that energy and funding diverted into living taxa, especially those that are in danger of extinction.  And as I have often commented, funding for preparation of dinosaur specimens (especially the big ones which required HUGE amounts of time per specimen) would be better spent encouraging more such biologists to study living taxa (while we still have the chance to do so).  Too much attention to dinosaur preparation and phylogenetics is bit like "fiddling while Rome burns".  We can prepare and analyze such fossils in the future.                        ----------------Ken
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> Date: Sat, 26 May 2012 17:48:57 -0700
> From: stephen_thorpe at yahoo.co.nz
> To: mesibov at southcom.com.au
> CC: taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu
> Subject: Re: [Taxacom] Taxonomic output study
> 
> yes, but the point I was trying to make is that increasingly few and far between professional positions are available for "spending all their time on species descriptions". If that's what you want to do, then you have basically got to be an "amateur" of some kind. But it isn't just "administrative tasks, fund-raising and teaching" that gets in the way, but also phylogenetics for phylogenetics sake and molecular systematics for m.s. sake (or rather both for citations sake) ...
>  
> Stephen
> 
> From: Bob Mesibov <mesibov at southcom.com.au>
> To: Stephen Thorpe <stephen_thorpe at yahoo.co.nz> 
> Cc: TAXACOM <taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu> 
> Sent: Sunday, 27 May 2012 12:40 PM
> Subject: Re: [Taxacom] Taxonomic output study
> 
> "We defined two groups of taxonomists, according to their professional status (see details in Material and Methods):
> 
> - Professional taxonomists: people paid to do taxonomy, having a formal position in taxonomy, or students; 
> - Non-professional taxonomists: people who do not hold a position in which they are remunerated for performing taxonomy, i.e. amateurs in the broad sense and retired  professionals."
> 
> "A second limiting factor preventing the completion of an inventory of European biodiversity is the non-availability of taxonomists, just as in the tropics. Professional taxonomists are not numerous enough, and they cannot spend all their time on species descriptions, as they also have to deal with administrative tasks, fund-raising and teaching."
> -- 
> Dr Robert Mesibov
> Honorary Research Associate
> Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery
> Home contact: PO Box 101, Penguin, Tasmania, Australia 7316
> Ph: (03) 64371195; 61 3 64371195
> Webpage: http://www.qvmag.tas.gov.au/?articleIDW0
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