Phylogenetic systematics and integrative taxonomy for the successful biocontrol of weeds

MARVALDI, A. E.

Simposio; XVI International Symposium of Biological Control on Weeds; 2023

Taxonomy and systematics are at the base of any biological research, providing the names and evolutionary context to access the biological information needed. The BCW, like many other areas, often suffers from the “taxonomic impediment” generated by incomplete taxonomic knowledge or lack of available taxonomic experts on the particular taxa involved (i.e., weed plants and their potential biocontrol agents). There is an estimation that about 80 % of all extant species remain unknown. That is particularly critical among hyperdiverse taxa (e.g., angiosperms, beetles) and highly biodiverse areas like the Neotropics. Moreover, most groups with described species require revision by specialists using modern taxonomic methods. Taxonomic experts in different plant and animal groups have the knowledge and experience to perform or supervise the accurate identification of the species involved in the study, or to recognize if they are non-native species, or if they are new to science and then in need of being described, named and classified. Their expertise can be crucial for identifying the challenging organisms often involved in BCW, like hybrids, parthenogenetic lineages, or cryptic species. Systematics can also contribute with phylogenetic information, i.e., hypotheses of evolutionary relationships between species and higher taxa, which can be most valuable for comparative purposes because of their predictive power. Molecular tools for confirming species identification are helpful and becoming common practice, but they can only illuminate, not replace, the taxonomic expertise required to identify based on morphological evidence. A fundamental practice is to deposit voucher specimens in scientific institutions to ensure the reproducibility of the research. Voucher specimens are essential to verify the reliability of the original identification. Besides their crucial importance, the possibility of linking research data or information to the source specimens is still not always easy or even possible. During this conference, I will refer to some case studies selected to illustrate the value of “good” taxonomy and systematics in BCW. I will emphasize the need for collaborative research between practitioners of BCW and systematic biologists.