1 | | “No science in the world is more | | | | it right first time, of course, and what |
| | elevated, more necessary and | | | | looked like one species may rightly |
| | more useful than economics.” That was | | | | later be seen as two. But a suspiciously |
| | the view of Carl Linnaeus, a Swedish | | | | large number of the new species have |
| | naturalist, born three centuries ago, | | | | turned up in the limited group of big, |
| | who is better remembered for devising | | | | showy animals known somewhat |
| | the system used to this day to classify | | | | disparagingly as “charismatic |
| | living organisms. | | | | megafauna” – in other words the |
2 | | Linnaeus sought to reveal what he | | | | species that the public, as opposed to |
| | saw as the divine order of the natural | | | | the experts, care about. |
| | world so that it might be exploited for | | 6 | | One reason for this taxonomic |
| | human benefit. He lived at a time when | | | | inflation is that the idea of a species |
| | exploration and trade were bringing | | | | becoming extinct is easy to grasp, and |
| | new specimens to the attention of | | | | thus easy to make laws about. |
| | European scientists. Those specimens, | | | | Subspecies just do not carry as much |
| | particularly the plants, were | | | | political clout. The other is that |
| | scrutinised as potential crops. At the | | | | upgrading simultaneously increases |
| | turn of the 17th century there was no | | | | the number of rare species (by |
| | sense of how creatures were related to | | | | fragmenting populations) and |
| | each other; descriptions and | | | | augments the biodiversity of a piece of |
| | classifications were unsystematic. | | | | habitat and thus its claim for |
| | Linnaeus gave life to an organising | | | | protection. |
| | hierarchy with kingdoms at the top and | | 7 | | In the short term, this strategy |
| | species at the bottom. | | | | helps conservationists by intensifying |
3 | | The system he created has proved | | | | the perceived threat of extinction. In |
| | both robust and flexible. It survived | | | | the long term, as every economist |
| | the rise of evolution. It also survived | | | | knows, inflation brings devaluation. |
| | the discovery of whole categories of | | | | Rarity is not merely determined by the |
| | organism, such as bacteria, that the | | | | number of individuals in a species, it is |
| | Swede never suspected existed. But, | | | | also about how unusual that species is. |
| | rather as John Maynard Keynes | | | | If there are only two species of |
| | observed that “there is no subtler, no | | | | elephant, African and Indian, losing |
| | surer means of overturning the | | | | one matters a lot. Subdivide the |
| | existing basis of society than to | | | | African population, as some |
| | debauch the currency”, so Linnaeus's | | | | taxonomists propose, and perceptions |
| | system is being subtly debauched by | | | | of scarcity may shift. |
| | over-eager taxonomists, trying to help | | 8 | | The trouble is that the idea of what |
| | conservation. | | | | defines a species is a lot more slippery |
| | | | | | than you might think. Since it is |
| | Go forth and multiply | | | | changes in DNA that cause species to |
4 | | As new areas are explored, the number | | | | evolve apart, looking at DNA should be |
| | of species naturally increases. For | | | | a good way to divide the natural world. |
| | | | | | However, it depends which bit of DNA |
| | | | | | you look at. The standard technique |
| | | | | says, for example, that polar bears are |
| | | | | just brown bears that happen to be |
| | | | | white. This is not good news for those |
| | | | | relying on the Endangered Species Act. |
| | | | | For a certain sort of Colorado rodent |
| | | | | (with, alas, a nose for prime riverfront |
| | | | | real estate) the question of whether it |
| | | | | is “Preble’s meadow jumping mouse” |
| | | | | or a boring old meadow jumping |
| | | | | mouse may be a matter of life or death: |
| | | | | local property developers are on the |
| | | | | death side. The Bahamas switched |
| | | | | overnight from protecting their |
| | | | | | raccoons to setting up programmes to |
| | Carl Linnaeus | | | | eradicate them when a look at the |
| | | | | | genetic evidence showed the animals |
| | example, the number of species of | | | | were common Northern raccoons, not |
| | monkey, ape and lemur gradually | | | | a separate species. |
| | increased until the mid-1960s, when it | | 9 | | The 21st-century answer to this |
| | levelled off. In the mid-1980s, | | | | 18th-century riddle is that a species is |
| | however, it started rising again. Today | | | | what a taxonomist says it is. Evolution |
| | there are twice as many primate | | | | often fails to produce the clear |
| | species as there were then. That is not | | | | divisions that human thought in |
| | because a new wave of primatologists | | | | general, and the law in particular, |
| | has emerged, pith-helmeted, from the | | | | prefers to work with. It therefore |
| | jungle with hitherto unknown | | | | behoves taxonomists to be honest. If |
| | specimens. It is because a lot of | | | | they debase their currency, it will |
| | established subspecies have been | | | | ultimately become valueless. Linnaeus |
| | reclassified as species. | | | | the economist would have known that |
5 | | Perhaps “reclassified” is not quite | | | | instinctively. • |
| | the right word. “Rebranded” might be | | | | |
| | closer. Taxonomists do not always get | | |