Though we may not often think about it, certainly one of the most astounding features of life is its sheer diversity. Something like a million and a half species are already named, and biologists estimate that there's a minimum of another eight and a half million yet undescribed. Organizing such huge numbers in a meaningful way has occupied biologists for centuries. Our present system had its beginnings in the late 1750s, and we've struggled ever since for stability by setting up legalistic systems. But alas, stability in fields of active scientific research is a moving target.
As we learn more and more, our goal of reflecting evolutionary relationships in the
system requires shifts, and each new generation of students has a slightly different
set to learn. The Yellow-faced Pocket Gopher of our desert is an example. Early
recognized as a member of the genus Cratogeomys, it later was transferred to
Pappogeomys since it seemed sufficiently similar to that Mexican genus. More
recently, it has come back to being Cratogeomys as informed scientific opinion
has, in effect, said, "Never mind".
Contributor: Arthur H. Harris, Laboratory for Environmental Biology, Centennial Museum, University of Texas at El Paso.
Desert Diary is a joint production of the Centennial Museum and KTEP National Public Radio at the University of Texas at El Paso.