Taxonomic Trends Through Time
Indra Neil Sarkar, PhD, Ryan Schenk, & Catherine N. Norton, MLS
MBLWHOI Library, Marine Biological Laboratory, 7 MBL Street, Woods Hole, MA 02543 USA

In addition to the requisite genus and species binomial referents, authority and year information have been attached to every taxonomic name since the times of Linnaeus. In addition to being used to attribute taxonomic authority, these nomenclatural components can also be used to explore historical trends that may be associated with taxonomy since the mid-eighteenth century.Using information derived from the uBio resource, which aggregates taxonomic names from a range of resources, we have developed an Excel workbook that enables one to explore taxonomic trends from 1750 to 2000.

Click here to go to the web-based version of taxatoy

Click here to get the Excel version (1.5MB ZIP file uncompresses to a 5.2MB XLS file).

A brief overview of the functionality of the excel file:
N.B.: Macros must be enabled to ensure proper functionality of the below described features.

1. Linnaean taxonomy down to Family. For the selected group, displays the current scientific nomenclature (Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family) as derived from the NCBI, ITIS, and COLP Taxonomies. This field can be queried for exact string matches to a hierarchy, where the taxonomic ranks are separated with a carat (^). Searches can include asterisks (*). Searches are not case-sensitive. For example, to search for the group Aves, one might enter either "Animalia^chordata^aves" or "*Aves".
2. Common name for selected taxonomic group. Shows a common name for a chosen taxonomic group. Only a single English name is represented for any given taxonomic group. This field can also be searched using wildcards; however, the exact name string must be known.
3. Linnean taxonomy browser. Shows the entire list of taxonomic groups that are contained in the workbook. The selected group is highlighted. One can scroll through and select any group to explore.
4. Common name browser. Shows the entire list of common names associated with the taxonomic groups that are contained in the workbook. The selected group is highlighted. One can scroll through and select any group to explore.
5. Descriptive statistics. The total number of descriptions, percent of all descriptions, and the average descriptions from 1750 to 2000 are shown for the selected taxonomic group. Additionally, the top five years with the most descriptions per year are listed.
6. Trend line graph. For the selected taxonomic group, the number of descriptions per year (y-axis) are plotted along the years 1750 to 2000 (x-axis).
7. Number of Pre- and post- year descriptions. A pie chart is generated for the selected taxonomic group that shows the number of descriptions before (red) or after (blue) a specified year. The analysis can be performed for any year between 1750 and 2000 by selecting it from the pull-down below the title line.