Protecting stable biological nomenclatural systems enables universal communication: A collective international appeal
Pedro Jiménez‐Mejías, Saúl Manzano, Vinita Gowda, Frank‐Thorsten Krell, Mei-Ying Lin, Santiago Martín‐Bravo, Laura Martín-Torrijos, Gonzalo Nieto Feliner, Sergei L. Mosyakin, Robert F. C. Naczi, Carmen Acedo, Inés Álvarez, Jorge V. Crisci, Modesto Luceño, John C. Manning, Juan Carlos Moreno Sáiz, A. Muthama Muasya, Ricarda Riina, Andrea S. Meseguer, Daniel Sánchez‐Mata, 1543 additional coauthors, Magdi S A El-Hawagry, Mohammad Amini Rad, Patrick Blandin, Michael Schmitt, Ryota Hayashi, Sangtae Kim, Anna Ronikier, Michał Ronikier, Sérgio Chozas, A. Dos Anjos, Guilherme Siniciato Terra Garbino, Mikhail Rogov, Manuel B. Morales, Carlos Luis Leopardi Verde, Emre Çilden, Donald Shuka, Ermelinda Gjeta, Lulëzim Shuka, Marjol Meço, Spase Shumka, Abdelkader Nabil Benghanem, Djilali Tahri, Laouer Hocine, Rachid Meddour, Saidi Boubar, Salima Benhouhou, Clara Pladevall, Francisco M. P. Gonçalves, Abel Pérez‐González, Ana Valeria Carranza, Anıbal Prina, Darién E. Prado, Diego G. Gutiérrez, Elián L Guerrero, Esteban O. Lavilla, Eugenia Minghetti, Federico L. Agnolín, Graciela Lorna Alfosno, Juan José Cantero, Julián Faivovich, Liliana Katinas, Magdalena Laurito, Marcelo D. Arana, María Cecilia Melo, Maria Jimena Ponce, Mariela Fabbroni, Pablo E. Ortíz, Pablo Demaio, Pablo M. Dellapé, Pablo Teta, Roberto Kiesling, Alla Aleksanyan, George Fayvush, Brian Jones, Daniel J. Bickel, Eckart Håkansson, Elena K. Kupriyanova, Glenn M. Shea, Jürgen Kellermann, Karen L. Wilson, Ladislav Mucina, Nicholas A. Morris, Peter S. Cranston, Peter Crossing, P. G. Allsopp, P.A.M. Weston, Raymond Hoser, Rohan Pethiyagoda, Scott Eipper, Trevor Henry Worthy, Vratislav Ricardo Bejsak-Colloredo-Mansfeld, Božo Frajman, Clemens Pachschwöll, Gerald M. Schneeweiss, Gerhard Pils, Hermann Voglmayr, Irmgard Krisai‐Greilhüber, Konstantina Agiadi, Michael H. J. Barfuss
Abstract
The fundamental value of universal nomenclatural systems in biology is that they enable unambiguous scientific communication. However, the stability of these systems is threatened by recent discussions asking for a fairer nomenclature, raising the possibility of bulk revision processes for "inappropriate" names. It is evident that such proposals come from very deep feelings, but we show how they can irreparably damage the foundation of biological communication and, in turn, the sciences that depend on it. There are four essential consequences of objective codes of nomenclature: universality, stability, neutrality, and transculturality. These codes provide fair and impartial guides to the principles governing biological nomenclature and allow unambiguous universal communication in biology. Accordingly, no subjective proposals should be allowed to undermine them.