SIGIA-L Mail Archives: [Sigia-l] Linnaean naming system faces challengers
[Sigia-l] Linnaean naming system faces challengers
Hi Eric and the ASIS&T IAs
Thanks for alerting us to the article about the PhyloCode. Their =
website logo is a cladogram, which is the organizational structure used =
in cladistics, an alternate method for organizing biologic information. =
I won=E2=80=99t go into the various advantages and disadvantages of =
taxonomy vs. cladistics. My theory of information organization is to =
build the structure for the specific client. Even biologists require =
more than one way to organize their information.
According to Ernst Mayr, in =E2=80=9CThe Growth of Biological =
Thought,=E2=80=9D a cladogram is =E2=80=9Ca series of dichotomies =
depicting the successive splits of the phyletic lines=E2=80=9D (common =
ancestors). As I write this, I am looking at a cladogram in which one =
diagonal line has single lines branching off in the opposite diagonal. =
It=E2=80=99s similar to a series of decreasing nested triangles. =20
Cladograms are not a model for organizing non-biologic information. =
They are designed for a specific type of biologic information. In =
addition, they are unnecessarily complicated while a hierarchy offers =
almost instant knowledge. We intuitively recognize the rationale of =
successive hierarchical steps. In Wendy=E2=80=99s post, she said she =
admired the simplicity and logic of the Linnaean system. That=E2=80=99s =
why it has been successful for 250 years. =20
Some of the problems identified by the PhyloCode people are actually =
problems of maintenance. In binomial nomenclature, each species is =
named for both genus and species. Thus the domestic dog is Canis =
familiaris and the wolf is Canis lupus. Names actually encompass two =
levels in the hierarchy. If you make a change in hierarchical =
placement, you also have to give the species a whole new name! The =
article specifically mentions a genus in the rose family. Because of =
the binomial naming protocol, an accurate renaming of this genus would =
require the renaming of a lot of other plants, including strawberries, =
which would definitely be controversial. =20
Of course, most information taxonomists are not using binomial =
nomenclature in their structures, so we don=E2=80=99t have to worry =
about completely changing labels every time we make a change to the =
system. However there is a lesson for us here. Simplicity is best. =
When you start getting fancy, you run into trouble. Your design should =
be a clear organizational system that reflects logical relationships and =
maintains structural integrity during revisions. =20
By the way, is anyone else on this list using AOL? If yes, please =
contact me off list. I need some help figuring out how to post to =
certain types of lists. Thanks!
Katherine
***********************************************************
Katherine Bertolucci
Taxonomy and Information Management Consultant
Isis Information Services
P O Box 627
Phoenix, AZ 85001
602-258-2035
isisinform_at_aol.com
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.6
: Fri Jun 03 2005 - 03:48:42 EDT
|
