title: Ramping up biodiversity discovery via online quantum contributions.
abstract: The pace of species discovery and documentation remains too slow on a human-altered planet in the midst of a massive extinction event. Increasing this pace requires altering conventional workflows. In this review, we propose that systematics needs to shift to a model of quantum contributions whereby species hypotheses are published as they are formulated and data as they are collected in web-based repositories and content-management systems. If our recommendation is followed, many species will make their first appearance on the Internet as candidate new species before documentation is complete. Acknowledging the changes that we describe may be controversial, we discuss problems that may be encountered along with possible solutions.
authors: Department of Zoology, 3029 Cordley Hall, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA.
authors: David R
authors: DR
authors: Maddison
authors: Robert
authors: R
authors: Guralnick
authors: Andrew
authors: A
authors: Hill
authors: Anna-Louise
authors: AL
authors: Reysenbach
authors: Lucinda A
authors: LA
authors: McDade
mesh_terms: D044822:Biodiversity; D002965:Classification / Q000379:methods; D016208:Databases, Factual; D053476:Extinction, Biological; D020407:Internet; D010802:Phylogeny