Evolution and Classification of Seed Plants

摘要: What should taxonomists do with their time? Is it “futile to continue the task of describing biological diversity in manner 18th century, writing, a way, slighdy premature obituaries millions bugs and worms those few randomly selected undescribed species plants vertebrates” (Soule 1990)? The tropical forests are being destroyed at an alarming speed. Taxonomists cannot even keep pace forest machines, rate “species” extinction is still steadily increasing. Bramwell (1989) Nooteboom (1988) clear on what our be: write floras, not worry about how things interrelated! A flora basic tool all work, undoubtedly also powerful weapon fight for nature conservation, so why everybody writing floras? Maybe there really no intra-disciplinary conflict here. preparation reliable floras dependent available monographs, monographs (at levels) remains most important systematic botanists. “Systematics discipline that deals history life, we forget this peril professional integrity” (Stevens 1990). As long as systematics reduced arbitrary sorting atomistic entities into convenient boxes, scientific discipline. Progress thus possible, but will inevitably mean changes delimitation circumscription taxa, taxonomic instability irritating (Crisp Fogg 1988). Should stop making progress please fellows other branches? No! We need make them understand classifications have little predictivity restricted use.