Topic 3: (Fauna Europaea and gender agreement) GUIDs for Taxon Names and Taxon Concepts

Donald Hobern dhobern at GBIF.ORG
Mon Nov 7 09:36:48 CET 2005


Dear Yde,



Just catching up.  There is one small practical point I'd like to understand
about Fauna Europaea.  You wrote the following:



How is Fauna Europaea organised?

- Basically we have a list of 'naked' taxon names (from the infraspecific
level to Kingdom) including full authorship for at least the generic and
(infra)specific levels. All those taxon names (read: name elements) have
unique id's.

- All epithets are linked to their original genus, so original combinations
can be reconstructed. This is nearly, but not completely similar to
basionyms in botany because gender unequivalencies are not necessarily
corrected.

- Species names are created by recursively linking species-group names to
genus-group names. Genus names are parents of specific epithets, and
specific epithets are parents of infraspecific epithets.

- Subjective synonyms are specific epithets recursively linked as childs to
'accepted' specific epithets. For objective synonymy genus names synonyms
are recursively linked as childs to 'accepted' genus names.

- Conclusion: Names (=naked name element/author/year plus original genus for
epithets) are for eternity. Species names (so your taxon names) are
temporary concepts (if they are not basionyms) which don't have identifiers
and which are not kept in the database after taxonomic changes else then by
version control.

- However, an unique species name id can be easily artificially created by
merging both generic and epithet id's (a trick we also use for Species2000).

- Taxon concepts are not explicitly covered.



Can you explain a little more about how you handle epithet agreement
("gender unequivalencies") in this system?  I realise this is tangential
from the main GUID discussion, but it does seem to be a complication to the
task of treating the epithet as the primary unit.



Thanks,



Donald

---------------------------------------------------------------
Donald Hobern ( <mailto:dhobern at gbif.org> dhobern at gbif.org)
Programme Officer for Data Access and Database Interoperability
Global Biodiversity Information Facility Secretariat
Universitetsparken 15, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
Tel: +45-35321483   Mobile: +45-28751483   Fax: +45-35321480
---------------------------------------------------------------


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<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 color=3Dnavy face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>Dear =
Yde,<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 color=3Dnavy face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 color=3Dnavy face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>Just catching up.&nbsp; There is =
one small
practical point I&#8217;d like to understand about Fauna Europaea.&nbsp; =
You
wrote the following:<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 color=3Dnavy face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal style=3D'margin-left:36.0pt'><font size=3D3
face=3D"Times New Roman"><span style=3D'font-size:12.0pt'>How is Fauna =
Europaea organised?<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal style=3D'margin-left:36.0pt'><font size=3D3
face=3D"Times New Roman"><span style=3D'font-size:12.0pt'>- Basically we =
have a
list of 'naked' taxon names (from the infraspecific level to Kingdom) =
including
full authorship for at least the generic and (infra)specific levels. All =
those
taxon names (read: name elements) have unique =
id's.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal style=3D'margin-left:36.0pt'><font size=3D3
face=3D"Times New Roman"><span style=3D'font-size:12.0pt'>- All epithets =
are linked
to their original genus, so original combinations can be reconstructed. =
This is
nearly, but not completely similar to basionyms in botany because gender
unequivalencies are not necessarily =
corrected.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal style=3D'margin-left:36.0pt'><font size=3D3
face=3D"Times New Roman"><span style=3D'font-size:12.0pt'>- Species =
names are
created by recursively linking species-group names to genus-group names. =
Genus
names are parents of specific epithets, and specific epithets are =
parents of
infraspecific epithets.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal style=3D'margin-left:36.0pt'><font size=3D3
face=3D"Times New Roman"><span style=3D'font-size:12.0pt'>- Subjective =
synonyms are
specific epithets recursively linked as childs to 'accepted' specific =
epithets.
For objective synonymy genus names synonyms are recursively linked as =
childs to
'accepted' genus names.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal style=3D'margin-left:36.0pt'><font size=3D3
face=3D"Times New Roman"><span style=3D'font-size:12.0pt'>- Conclusion: =
Names
(=3Dnaked name element/author/year plus original genus for epithets) are =
for
eternity. Species names (so your taxon names) are temporary concepts (if =
they
are not basionyms) which don't have identifiers and which are not kept =
in the
database after taxonomic changes else then by version =
control.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal style=3D'margin-left:36.0pt'><font size=3D3
face=3D"Times New Roman"><span style=3D'font-size:12.0pt'>- However, an =
unique
species name id can be easily artificially created by merging both =
generic and
epithet id's (a trick we also use for =
Species2000).<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal style=3D'margin-left:36.0pt'><font size=3D3
face=3D"Times New Roman"><span style=3D'font-size:12.0pt'>- Taxon =
concepts are not
explicitly covered.</span></font><font size=3D2 color=3Dnavy =
face=3DArial><span
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p></o:p></span=
></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 color=3Dnavy face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 color=3Dnavy face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>Can you explain a little more about =
how
you handle epithet agreement (&#8220;gender unequivalencies&#8221;) in =
this
system?&nbsp; I realise this is tangential from the main GUID =
discussion, but
it does seem to be a complication to the task of treating the epithet as =
the
primary unit.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 color=3Dnavy face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 color=3Dnavy face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>Thanks,<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>=


<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 color=3Dnavy face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></font></p>

<div>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 color=3Dnavy face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>Donald<br>
&nbsp;<br>
---------------------------------------------------------------<br>
Donald Hobern (</span></font><a href=3D"mailto:dhobern at gbif.org"><font =
size=3D2
face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>dhobern at gbif.org</span></fon=
t></a><font
size=3D2 color=3Dnavy face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;
color:navy'>)<br>
Programme Officer for Data Access and Database Interoperability <br>
Global Biodiversity Information Facility Secretariat <br>
Universitetsparken 15, DK-2100 <st1:place w:st=3D"on"><st1:City =
w:st=3D"on">Copenhagen</st1:City>,
 <st1:country-region =
w:st=3D"on">Denmark</st1:country-region></st1:place><br>
Tel: +45-35321483&nbsp;&nbsp; <st1:place w:st=3D"on"><st1:City =
w:st=3D"on">Mobile</st1:City></st1:place>:
+45-28751483&nbsp;&nbsp; Fax: +45-35321480<br>
---------------------------------------------------------------</span></f=
ont><font
size=3D2 face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p=
>

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