Photography-based taxonomy is inadequate, unnecessary, and potentially harmful for biological sciences

The question whether taxonomic descriptions naming new animal species without type specimen(s) deposited in collections should be accepted for publication by scientific journals and allowed by the Code has already been discussed in Zootaxa (Dubois & Nemésio 2007; Donegan 2008, 2009; Nemésio 2009a–b; Dubois 2009; Gentile & Snell 2009; Minelli 2009; Cianferoni & Bartolozzi 2016; Amorim et al. 2016). This question was again raised in a letter supported by 35 signatories published in the journal Nature (Pape et al. 2016) on 15 September 2016. On 25 September 2016, the following rebuttal (strictly limited to 300 words as per the editorial rules of Nature) was submitted to Nature, which on 18 October 2016 refused to publish it. As we think this problem is a very important one for zoological taxonomy, this text is published here exactly as submitted to Nature, followed by the list of the 493 taxonomists and collection-based researchers who signed it in the short time span from 20 September to 6 October 2016

Atrasentan and renal events in patients with type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease (SONAR): a double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial

Background: Short-term treatment for people with type 2 diabetes using a low dose of the selective endothelin A receptor antagonist atrasentan reduces albuminuria without causing significant sodium retention. We report the long-term effects of treatment with atrasentan on major renal outcomes. Methods: We did this double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial at 689 sites in 41 countries. We enrolled adults aged 18–85 years with type 2 diabetes, estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR)25–75 mL/min per 1·73 m 2 of body surface area, and a urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR)of 300–5000 mg/g who had received maximum labelled or tolerated renin–angiotensin system inhibition for at least 4 weeks. Participants were given atrasentan 0·75 mg orally daily during an enrichment period before random group assignment. Those with a UACR decrease of at least 30% with no substantial fluid retention during the enrichment period (responders)were included in the double-blind treatment period. Responders were randomly assigned to receive either atrasentan 0·75 mg orally daily or placebo. All patients and investigators were masked to treatment assignment. The primary endpoint was a composite of doubling of serum creatinine (sustained for ≥30 days)or end-stage kidney disease (eGFR <15 mL/min per 1·73 m 2 sustained for ≥90 days, chronic dialysis for ≥90 days, kidney transplantation, or death from kidney failure)in the intention-to-treat population of all responders. Safety was assessed in all patients who received at least one dose of their assigned study treatment. The study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01858532. Findings: Between May 17, 2013, and July 13, 2017, 11 087 patients were screened; 5117 entered the enrichment period, and 4711 completed the enrichment period. Of these, 2648 patients were responders and were randomly assigned to the atrasentan group (n=1325)or placebo group (n=1323). Median follow-up was 2·2 years (IQR 1·4–2·9). 79 (6·0%)of 1325 patients in the atrasentan group and 105 (7·9%)of 1323 in the placebo group had a primary composite renal endpoint event (hazard ratio [HR]0·65 [95% CI 0·49–0·88]; p=0·0047). Fluid retention and anaemia adverse events, which have been previously attributed to endothelin receptor antagonists, were more frequent in the atrasentan group than in the placebo group. Hospital admission for heart failure occurred in 47 (3·5%)of 1325 patients in the atrasentan group and 34 (2·6%)of 1323 patients in the placebo group (HR 1·33 [95% CI 0·85–2·07]; p=0·208). 58 (4·4%)patients in the atrasentan group and 52 (3·9%)in the placebo group died (HR 1·09 [95% CI 0·75–1·59]; p=0·65). Interpretation: Atrasentan reduced the risk of renal events in patients with diabetes and chronic kidney disease who were selected to optimise efficacy and safety. These data support a potential role for selective endothelin receptor antagonists in protecting renal function in patients with type 2 diabetes at high risk of developing end-stage kidney disease. Funding: AbbVie

Link-Perez_and_Laffan_2018_distribution-data_EPSG-4326

Geographic coordinates (rounded to 0.001 decimal degrees) for the 32,012 georeferenced occurrence records used in the study. Data are provided in the original WGS84 (EPSG:4326) reference coordinate system

Data from: Fern and lycophyte diversity in the Pacific Northwest: patterns and predictors

Recent floristic efforts in the Pacific Northwest (PNW) have made it possible to characterize the broad-scale patterns of fern and lycophyte diversity across this geologically-complex region of western North America. The physiography of the PNW has been developing for over 200 million years, but Pleistocene glaciation-induced migrations and recolonizations have strongly influenced the assembly of the flora. With the high dispersal potential of spores, distribution patterns of pteridophytes may represent habitat suitability more than dispersal constraints. Our objective was to describe the biodiversity of pteridophytes in the PNW, determine the spatial distribution of that biodiversity in terms of phylogenetic diversity, identify centers of regional endemism, explore correlations between biodiversity and environmental variables, and infer influences of past glaciation on the pteridophyte flora. We obtained distribution data, constructed a phylogenetic tree using chloroplast data, and used the Biodiverse software package to estimate and map phylogenetic diversity and phylogenetic endemism across the PNW, identifying regions where diversity was higher or lower than expected in comparison to randomization models. Environmental correlates of diversity were identified using principal components analysis with bioclimatic data from WorldClim.org, and we used Maxent to predict habitat suitability for species under past and future climate conditions. We found evidence for the influence of glacial refugia on patterns of pteridophyte diversity, that moisture availability and cold temperatures are strongly correlated with patterns of richness, phylogenetic diversity, and phylogenetic endemism, and infer that topographic complexity may be driving the assembly of the pteridophyte flora indirectly by influencing climate and precipitation patterns

The Art of Collecting: The Vascular Flora of the Central Kentucky Wildlife Management Area

The Miller Welch-Central Kentucky Wildlife Management Area (CKWMA) in Madison County, Kentucky, is 747.5 ha (1847 acres) with roughly 60% open land and 40% forested with scattered streams and ponds (Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife Resources). The CKWMA is in the Outer Bluegrass physiographic region and is a popular resource for shooting sports, hunting, hiking, bird dog training, and many other outdoor recreational activities. A survey of the vascular flora is being conducted to document the plant biodiversity in the area. Over 600 collections were made during the 2019 growing season including the charismatic Monotropa uniflora (L.) (Ghost Pipe), which is only the third documented occurrence of this species within a very heavily collected county. Surveying will be continued into the 2020 growing season to find species overlooked in the previous year. After being identified, mounted, databased, and imaged, all specimens will be deposited in the Ronald L. Jones Herbarium at Eastern Kentucky University. Once the floristic survey is finished, the results will be distributed back to Kentucky Fish and Wildlife for assistance in land management. With increasing rates of loss in biodiversity throughout Kentucky and the temperate zone, cataloging of our natural world is needed to monitor changes in plant diversity

The PteridoPortal: A publicly accessible collection of over three million records of extant and extinct pteridophytes

Abstract Premise Pteridophytes—vascular land plants that disperse by spores—are a powerful system for studying plant evolution, particularly with respect to the impact of abiotic factors on evolutionary trajectories through deep time. However, our ability to use pteridophytes to investigate such questions—or to capitalize on the ecological and conservation‐related applications of the group—has been impaired by the relative isolation of the neo‐ and paleobotanical research communities and by the absence of large‐scale biodiversity data sources. Methods Here we present the Pteridophyte Collections Consortium (PCC), an interdisciplinary community uniting neo‐ and paleobotanists, and the associated PteridoPortal, a publicly accessible online portal that serves over three million pteridophyte records, including herbarium specimens, paleontological museum specimens, and iNaturalist observations. We demonstrate the utility of the PteridoPortal through discussion of three example PteridoPortal‐enabled research projects. Results The data within the PteridoPortal are global in scope and are queryable in a flexible manner. The PteridoPortal contains a taxonomic thesaurus (a digital version of a Linnaean classification) that includes both extant and extinct pteridophytes in a common phylogenetic framework. The PteridoPortal allows applications such as greatly accelerated classic floristics, entirely new “next‐generation” floristic approaches, and the study of environmentally mediated evolution of functional morphology across deep time. Discussion The PCC and PteridoPortal provide a comprehensive resource enabling novel research into plant evolution, ecology, and conservation across deep time, facilitating rapid floristic analyses and other biodiversity‐related investigations, and providing new opportunities for education and community engagement