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La Taxonomía Integral Y Su Importancia Para La Conservación

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La Taxonomía Integral Y Su Importancia Para La Conservación CECON / USAC ● 2 0 1 5 CIENCIA& CONSERVACIÓN Todos los derechos reservados 54 [email protected] C&C:2015:06:54 — 64 LA TAXONOMÍA INTEGRAL Y SU IMPORTANCIA PARA LA CONSERVACIÓN Oscar Gustavo Martínez López Unidad para el Conocimiento, Uso y Valoración de la Biodiversidad, Centro de Estudios Conservacionistas (CECON), Facultad de Ciencias Químicas y Farmacia, Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala Correo electrónico: [email protected] PALABRAS CLAVE: taxonomía integral, delimitación de especies, conservación, áreas protegidas, unidades de manejo VOLUMEN 6 | 2015 | CECON • USAC C&C:2015:06 ENSAYOS 55 Martínez O. Taxonomía integral y conservación • RESUMEN La taxonomía es una de las disciplinas con menos apoyo económico respecto a otras áreas de la biología. Esto se suma al basto trabajo de los taxónomos, que tienen muchas especies por describir y clasificar en todos los organismos conocidos. Así mismo, el concepto de especie es motivo de debate y se ha hecho necesario actualizarlo en lo que llamamos un concepto de especie unificado (Queiroz, 2007). La integración de este concepto junto a varios métodos para la identificación y resolución de la incertidumbre de los conceptos de especie, es un paso fundamental para la taxonomía. Lo anterior es vital para la conservación de la biodiversidad, ya que esta es interdependiente de la taxonomía. En este ensayo se discuten sobre algunos métodos y se muestran ejemplos de biólogos guatemaltecos que han estado desarrollando trabajos utilizando distintas herramientas para resolver problemas taxonómicos, sistemáticos, evolutivos y de genética de poblaciones. Sin embargo, Guatemala es un país megadiverso, lo que se traduce en la necesidad de más trabajos taxonómicos, que junto al uso de más métodos enriquecerán y complementarán la información de especies para el país. Esto será fundamental para contribuir a iniciativas nacionales para la conservación de la biodiversidad, las cuales se discuten brevemente al final del ensayo. • ABSTRACT Taxonomy is one of the most poorly financed disciplines of biology when compared to other areas of this field. Also, taxonomists have the huge task of describing and classifying the species of all known organisms. Furthermore, the concept of species is still a topic of debate, and the need to review it has been outlined in the unified species concept (Queiroz, 2007). Integrating this concept with different methods of identifying and resolving the uncertainties present in species concepts is a fundamental step for strengthening taxonomy. Refining these processes is vital for biodiversity conservation since it is interdependent from taxonomy. This essay discusses some of these methods and provides examples of Guatemalan biologists who have used them in different research projects tackling taxonomic, systematic, evolution, and population genetics problems. Nevertheless, there is an urgent need for more taxonomy research given Guatemala’s mega-diversity, which can be generated and enriched with more data about the country’s species if more methods are considered when carrying out taxonomic studies. This will be a significant contribution to national initiatives for biodiversity, which conservation, which are discussed briefly at the end of the essay. El trabajo de los taxónomos es basto y falta mucho INTRODUCCIÓN • por describir y clasificar en todos los taxones La taxonomía es una de las disciplinas menos apoya- conocidos. das económicamente y su desarrollo en comparación con otras disciplinas en biología ha sido muy débil Así mismo, la taxonomía en una disciplina central para (Wilson, 2003). En la actualidad, hay alrededor de la exploración y comprensión de la biodiversidad. La 6,000 taxónomos a nivel mundial y en contraste se taxonomía es una ciencia que caracteriza, clasifica y estima que el número de especies está entre 3.6 nombra taxones. La taxonomía se divide en millones y hasta 100 millones de especies; pero si taxonomía alfa y beta. La taxonomía alfa estudia pensamos en un número más conservador podría ser categorías menores (por ejemplo especies), mientras 10 millones, de estos solo se han descrito 1.5 a 1.8 que la beta se enfoca en aspectos filogenéticos y las millones de especies –llamado también déficit clasificaciones supraespecíficas (orden, clase, familias, linneano- (Lomolino, 2004; Mace 2004; Wilson, 2003). tríbus) (Schlick-Steiner, et al., 2010). VOLUMEN 6 | 2015 | CECON • USAC Martínez O. Taxonomía integral y conservación 56 ENSAYOS C&C:2015:06 Figura I. Diagrama de especiación y diferentes conceptos de especies. *Tomado con autorización de Frederik Leliaert. Leliaert, et al, 2014 **Traducido por Oscar Martínez, 2016. La taxonomía alfa es central en la biología ya que discutirá brevemente sobre el tipo de conservación muchos campos de esta, utilizan las especies como que se hace en Guatemala, algunos ejemplos de unidades centrales de sus estudios. Sin embargo, el conservación en otros países y el rol que tiene la concepto de especie, su correcto reconocimiento y taxonomía como disciplina interdependiente de la clasificación representan un problema, ya que los conservación. conceptos de –especie- tienden a ser motivo de HACIA UN CONCEPTO UNIFICADO DE ESPECIE conflicto entre los expertos de las diferentes disciplinas biológicas. Lo anterior y el hecho de que El concepto biológico de especie es de suma los diferentes taxones han sufrido procesos de importancia, ya que es una de las unidades selección natural, deriva génica, aislamiento y fundamentales de esta ciencia (e.g. Queiroz, 2007, mutaciones, por lo cual divergen y terminan difiriendo Schlick-Steiner et al., 2010). Dentro de este marco entre sí, pueden requerir del manejo de diferentes biológico, en la taxonomía alfa se han propuesto conceptos de –especie- (Figura 1). diferentes conceptos de especie (Queiroz, 2007, Schlick-Steiner et al., 2010). Estos pueden ser Este ensayo tiene como objetivos analizar la tipológicos, fenético, filogenético, o considerando propuesta sobre un concepto básico unificador de enfoques genéticos, ecológicos, evolutivos o una especies propuesta por Queiroz (2007). Así mismo, mezcla de varios de estos, que pueden ser hasta presentar algunos métodos que se utilizan para incompatibles y confusos (Brower, 2002). Esto resolver la incertidumbre taxonómica alfa. ocasiona que se puedan tener diferentes conclusiones Posteriormente, se discutirá sobre el uso de a partir del uso de ellos (Queiroz, 2007). Existen al diferentes herramientas para apoyar la conservación, menos 20 definiciones de para concepto de especie esto a través de ejemplos de biólogos (Schlick - Steiner et al., 2010). guatemaltecos que las utilizan. Para finalizar, se VOLUMEN 6 | 2015 | CECON • USAC C&C:2015:06 ENSAYOS 57 Martínez O. Taxonomía integral y conservación En el cuadro 1, se presentan diferentes conceptos de TAXONOMÍA INTEGRAL: UNA PROPUESTA especie desde el enfoque de disciplinas biológicas, PARA ENFRENTAR LAS INCERTIDUMBRES propuestos en los últimos 70 años. Queiroz (2007) y TAXONÓMICAS Schlick-Steiner y colaboradores (2010) proponen que éstos sean meramente lineamientos en las diferentes Al tener una noción sobre el concepto de especie disciplinas, pero establece la necesidad de unificar y unificado -linajes de metapoblaciones evolucionando tener un concepto de especie. ¿Cuál es la razón de separadamente- y utilizarlo para la delimitación o esta afirmación? Si se sigue utilizando diferentes resolución de incertidumbres taxonómicas, conceptos de especie, la información que cada - descripción de nuevas especies o resolución de método provea (sin considerar otros métodos) solo especies cripticas- el siguiente paso es discutir las da una respuesta parcial a un problema de herramientas que existen en la actualidad, delimitación de especies. especialmente aquellas que se han utilizado en varios estudios para delimitar especies. En mi opinión, el concepto de especies propuesto por Queiroz (2007) como linajes de metapoblaciones CARACTERES MORFOLÓGICOS evolucionando separadamente es una propuesta con Existen diferentes caractereres que son útiles para la un concepto básico unificador. Los demás conceptos taxonomía (e.g. citológicos, etológicos, ecológicos). de especie no deben ser descartados, ya que Los caracteres morfológicos están determinados por dependerán del nivel que el taxónomo este los genes. Estos caracteres se observan y a partir de estudiando un organismo y en la cual este basando su las discontinuidades en la variación de estos se hipótesis de trabajo (Figura 1). Por lo tanto, mientras distinguen las especies (Leliaert, et al., 2014). Se más métodos utilice en su estudio, proporcionará pueden utilizar distintos rasgos morfológicos (e.g. mejores conclusiones y fortalecerá su hipótesis, lo cephalotorax, alas, cabeza, huesos, mandíbulas) que posteriormente contribuye a iniciativas de dependiendo del grupo de estudio. Tradicionalmente conservación que se basen en información más se utiliza la taxonomía basada en caracteres completa (Gonzales, Griswold y Engel, 2013). Así morfológicos para resolver estos problemas, la cual mismo, estos estudios deben de tener una ha sido vital como base para entender la interpretación integral teniendo en cuenta el concepto biodiversidad. Sin embargo, con el desarrollo de la básico unificador anteriormente mencionado. Este tecnología y de otras herramientas como el uso de solo es el primer paso, hacia el desarrollo de un morfometría, los organismos pueden ser sujetos a concepto operativo que pueda ser utilizado en la análisis cuantitativos
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