HR: 11:30h
AN: NB52C-05    [Abstracts]
TI: Taxonomic Resolution as a Conceptual Problem for Understanding Ecological Science.
AU: * Lafrancois, T
EM: lafr0026@umn.edu
AF: University of Minnesota, Department of Philosophy 831 Heller Hall 271 19th Ave South, Minneapolis, MN 55455-0310 United States
AB: The results of ecological analyses can vary with the taxonomic resolution(s) used to sort and quantify the organisms studied. It seems intuitive that the finest unit of taxonomy results in the finest discrimination of ecological processes, and this is certainly true in many cases (e.g. Hawkins 2000, Attayde 2001). However, other important work suggests that some ecological processes (e.g. Bowman 1997) or concepts (e.g. Schoener 1986, Olsgard 1998) are only supported by analysis at supra-specific taxonomic resolution. In fact, taxonomic levels above species are often necessary for detecting certain ecological relationships, such as key measurements of food webs (Vanderklift 1998) or stability of ecological communities over time (Bowman 1997). If some levels of organization result in different ecological outcomes, two questions are immediately raised. First, why do these levels lead to different outcomes, and second, what is the basis of choosing one resolution over another? I will address the first question by outlining four aspects of the problematic relationship between taxonomy and ecology: taxonomic variance, taxonomic heterogeneity, and taxonomic ambiguity both within and between groups. I aim to show that these interactions suggest a dependence relationship of ecological outcomes on taxonomic concepts.
DE: 9901 NABS Student Award - Basic Research
SC: North American Benthological Society [NB]
MN: 2005 Joint Assembly