Friday, December 01, 2006
Reducing Classification Ambiguity
The U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA) allows listing of subspecies and other groupings below the rank of species. This provides the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service with a means to target the most critical unit in need of conservation. A new publication by USGS scientists and collaborators reviewed classification information and found no standardized criteria for determining subspecies. Minimum biological criteria are proposed that would provide a clear distinction between species and subspecies, thus reducing classification ambiguity.
Haig, S.M., Beever, E.A., Chambers, S.M., Draheim, H.M., Dugger, B.D., Dunham, S., Elliott-Smith, E., Fontaine, J., Kesler, D.C., Knaus, B., Lopes, I.F., Loschl, P.J., Mullins, T.D., Sheffield, L.M., 2006, Taxonomic considerations in listing subspecies under the U.S. Endangered Species Act: Conservation Biology, v. 20, no. 6, p. 1584-1594. [Abs] [FullText] Catalog No: 1546
Contact:
Susan
Haig,
FRESC,
541-750-7482,
susan_haig@usgs.gov
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