20 Faunal Collecting, Inventorying and Systematizing in the Marine Environment: a Historical, Mostly British, Perspective
In: Naturalists in the FieldPurchase instant access (PDF download and unlimited online access):
Abstract
Following an introduction on collection and classification of faunal data, consideration is given here to the nineteenth-century flowering of natural historical activity that began systematizing marine biological data. Collecting and classifying biota have led to controversies concerning the community concept. Sampling and collecting methodologies have been standardized and protocols for inventorying data codified. The currently accepted system of inventorying field observations (biotope allocation) as advocated by the government’s conservation bodies is currently where inventorying and mapping marine biological data in Britain now stands, but just how this chimes with our knowledge of how marine ecosystems function is open to debate.