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Title: THE SCIENCE (AND ART?) OF NAMING: WHY NOMENCLATURE MATTERS FOR AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH

Author
item Cline, Erica
item Farr, David
item McCray, Erin
item PALM, MARY - APHIS
item Rossman, Amy

Submitted to: BARC Poster Day
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/5/2005
Publication Date: 5/9/2005
Citation: Cline, E., Farr, D.F., Mccray, E.B., Palm, M., Rossman, A.Y. 2005. THE SCIENCE (AND ART?) OF NAMING: WHY NOMENCLATURE MATTERS FOR AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH. BARC Poster Day.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Nomenclature is the science of naming groups of organisms (taxa). Giving stable and descriptive names to organisms allows us to comprehend the diversity of the natural world. Historically and even today, multiple names may have been used to refer to the same organism. This is particularly common for fungi. It is essential that scientific information not be lost because of confusion about scientific names. We are developing a database of nomenclatural information for fungi of agricultural importance, accessible via the Internet (http://nt.ars-grin.gov). This website allows users to find the accepted name of a fungus (i.e., the name currently in use), with a listing of any other names (synonyms) that have been used for that fungus. Associated databases with information on geographic distribution, plant hosts, and specimen collections can be searched with the option of including all known synonyms for a fungus or plant. We will demonstrate the use of this database and how it can be applied to issues of importance for agricultural research, such as: i) determining all reported plant hosts for a fungal pathogen, ii) mapping the geographic distribution of a fungal pathogen, and iii) determining whether a fungal pathogen has ever been reported in the United States. This information is vital for plant quarantine policy makers in deciding when to restrict imports of plants and plant products to protect the United States from introduction of exotic and potentially invasive fungal pathogens. Supported by USDA APHIS and USDA ARS CRIS Project #1275-22000-216-00D.