Mapping the biosphere: Exploring species to understand the origin, organization and sustainability of biodiversity Author Wheeler, Q. D. Author Knapp, S. Author Stevenson, D. W. Author Stevenson, J. Author Blum, S. D. Author Boom, B. M. Author Borisy, G. G. Author Buizer, J. L. Author De Carvalho, M. R. Author Cibrian, A. Author Donoghue, M. J. Author Doyle, V. Author Gerson, E. M. Author Graham, C. H. Author Graves, P. Author Graves, S. J. Author Guralnick, R. P. Author Hamilton, A. L. Author Hanken, J. Author Law, W. Author Lipscomb, D. L. Author Lovejoy, T. E. Author Miller, H. Author Miller, J. S. Author Naeem, S. Author Novacek, M. J. Author Page, L. M. Author Platnick, N. I. Author Porter-Morgan, H. Author Raven, P. H. Author Solis, M. A. Author Valdecasas, A. G. Author Van Der Leeuw, S. Author Vasco, A. Author Vermeulen, N. Author Vogel, J. Author Walls, R. L. Author Wilson, E. O. Author Woolley, J. B. text Systematics and Biodiversity 2012 2012-03-27 10 1 1 20 https://www.mendeley.com/catalogue/d0e710f2-31f8-3b8e-b1e2-2fddc4890601/ journal article 10.1080/14772000.2012.665095 6636745

Table1. Challenges confronted by “Sustain What?” workshop at New York Botanical Garden, 7–8 November 2010.

Challenge	Interpretation of Focus
A: What immediate actions might avoid	a: Digitization of data associated with 3 billion specimens and accumulated over 250
compounding constraints on taxonomic	years is progressing. What practices could avoid adding to this backlog?
progress?
B: How can the annual rate of species discovery	b: The stated challenge of describing 10 million species in 50 years or less can be
be accelerated by one order of magnitude?	met if rates of species description are increased from 20,000 to 200,000 species
	per year. How might this rate be realized?
C: Envision a mission to discover, describe, and	c: Identify the workforce, infrastructure, priorities, collections, cyber tools, etc. that
map the species of the biosphere.	would be needed to describe or re-describe 10 million species in 50 years or less.
D: How can the taxonomic and museum	d: Envision a plan for decadal assessment of needs and opportunities much like that
communities be organized to set a rolling	successfully used to drive the astronomy and astrophysics agenda forward.
agenda of top priorities to complete the
mission?
E: Assessment of need to know.	e: From the perspective of various disciplines, how much knowledge of species and
	their attributes, relationships, interactions, and distributions is necessary and
	appropriate?
F: What are scientific benefits of knowing all	f: Were an all-out mission to discover and map all species completed, evaluate the
species?	impacts on science.
G: What are impacts on society of knowing all	g: Were an all-out mission to discover and map all species completed, evaluate the
species?	impacts on society.
H: What can be done to improve public awareness	h: A successful mission should go beyond the creation of reliable information and
and appreciation of biodiversity and species	knowledge to also make the public aware of the importance of biodiversity and of
exploration?	the exploration of species. What kinds of outreach are likely to be successful?