Since the second half of the 20th century, there has been a rapid decline in taxonomic scientists leaving us in what some have called a ‘taxonomic crisis’. While some consider taxonomy--the science of naming, and classifying groups of organisms,--an “old-fashioned” profession, a recent paper by Mackey-Smith and Roberts reminds us of its important role in conservation today.
It is critical that we can actually identify the species we are protecting, and sound taxonomic knowledge should underpin the research, conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity. Misidentification can have detrimental effects, both on the individual scale (e.g., hospitalisation due to mistaking a poisonous plant for an edible one), and on the larger scale where it can misinform species management programs, and lead to confusion among regulators, customs agents and the public.
Identification is particularly challenging for “non-charismatic” and complex groups of organisms--including for orchids, one of the biggest families of flowering plants. With nearly 30,000 species of orchid, identification can present a huge challenge. A shift to generalist taxonomists has resulted in a lack of specialists, introducing new risks of misidentification. The “taxonomy crisis” feels particularly acute for orchids, as two highly respected taxonomists specialising in this family, Carlyle Leur and Bob Dressler, sadly passed away last year.
A previous study on bumblebees reported that both specialists and non-specialists had a similar level of identification ability, with both groups achieving correct identification in 55-60% cases. However, Mackey-Smith and Roberts’ paper on orchid identification found a greater difference in identification abilities.
Their study was particularly interested in the identification of the orchid genus Angraecum, which comprises 221 species. The genus is heavily targeted for illegal trade as an ornamental plant, and includes a number of threatened species, many of which are only found in Madagascar. As such, proper identification is key to their conservation.
Angraecum orchids are more commonly known as comet orchids due to the spur at the base of their lip holding nectary. Photo credits: Greg Allikas
In the study, sixty participants, of varying levels of expertise (experts were defined as those who worked on the genus Angraecum), were asked to state whether they thought pairs of orchids were the same species or not. Specialists achieved an accuracy of 80% in identification compared to only 55.9% in non-specialists showing specialists are substantially better at identifying orchids within the Angraecum genus.
Previous studies have shown that differences in misidentification between specialists and non-specialists is minimal whereas Mackey-Smith and Roberts demonstrated that there is in fact a substantial difference when identifying orchids. This shows us that we cannot make generalisations across taxa. While this study included a simplified version of the species identification process (usually taking into account multiple pictures, description, distribution and flowering times), it clearly indicates the important role of specialist taxonomists in the identification of Angraecum orchids. However, only three specialists in this genus could be recruited for this study, which is concerning and suggests increased training in this area is desperately needed.
We can only protect species if we can correctly identify them. For groups like orchids (and many other plants and insects and marine species), that requires “old fashioned”, specialist knowledge.