Scientists have named 1.9 million species yet this represents only 20% of Earth's biodiversity. Learn why ecological function matters more than scientific names.
I like your "What happens if we flip our whole approach and ask what a species does rather than what to call it? " Assigning a name is about us. Describing function is about the thing itself.
Thanks Baird. Names help in noticing difference and understanding diversity. The naturalist gentleman collectors did us a solid, but now we need to build awareness into the catalogue. What better way than ‘the thing itself’, nice.
Lovely meditation on human ignorance, John! 👏
I like your "What happens if we flip our whole approach and ask what a species does rather than what to call it? " Assigning a name is about us. Describing function is about the thing itself.
Thanks Baird. Names help in noticing difference and understanding diversity. The naturalist gentleman collectors did us a solid, but now we need to build awareness into the catalogue. What better way than ‘the thing itself’, nice.