Haig Susan M, Beever Erik A, Chambers Steven M, Draheim Hope M, Dugger Bruce D, Dunham Susie, Elliott-Smith Elise, Fontaine Joseph B, Kesler Dylan C, Knaus Brian J, Lopes Iara F, Loschl Pete, Mullins Thomas D, Sheffield Lisa M
USGS Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, 3200 SW Jefferson Way, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA.
Conserv Biol. 2006 Dec;20(6):1584-94. doi: 10.1111/j.1523-1739.2006.00530.x.
The U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA) allows listing of subspecies and other groupings below the rank of species. This provides the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service with a means to target the most critical unit in need of conservation. Although roughly one-quarter of listed taxa are subspecies, these management agencies are hindered by uncertainties about taxonomic standards during listing or delisting activities. In a review of taxonomic publications and societies, we found few subspecies lists and none that stated standardized criteria for determining subspecific taxa. Lack of criteria is attributed to a centuries-old debate over species and subspecies concepts. Nevertheless, the critical need to resolve this debate for ESA listings led us to propose that minimal biological criteria to define disjunct subspecies (legally or taxonomically) should include the discreteness and significance criteria of distinct population segments (as defined under the ESA). Our subspecies criteria are in stark contrast to that proposed by supporters of the phylogenetic species concept and provide a clear distinction between species and subspecies. Efforts to eliminate or reduce ambiguity associated with subspecies-level classifications will assist with ESA listing decisions. Thus, we urge professional taxonomic societies to publish and periodically update peer-reviewed species and subspecies lists. This effort must be paralleled throughout the world for efficient taxonomic conservation to take place.
美国《濒危物种法》（ESA）允许将亚种及低于物种等级的其他分类群列入名录。这为美国鱼类和野生动物管理局以及国家海洋渔业局提供了一种手段，用以针对最需要保护的关键单位。尽管约四分之一的列入名录的分类单元是亚种，但这些管理机构在列入或除名活动中受到分类标准不确定性的阻碍。在对分类学出版物和学会的审查中，我们发现亚种列表很少，而且没有一个列出了确定亚种分类单元的标准化标准。缺乏标准归因于关于物种和亚种概念的长达数百年的争论。然而，为了《濒危物种法》的名录确定而解决这一争论的迫切需求促使我们提出，定义间断亚种（在法律上或分类学上）的最低生物学标准应包括不同种群段的离散性和重要性标准（如《濒危物种法》所定义）。我们的亚种标准与系统发育物种概念支持者提出的标准形成鲜明对比，并在物种和亚种之间提供了明确区分。消除或减少与亚种水平分类相关的模糊性的努力将有助于《濒危物种法》的名录确定决策。因此，我们敦促专业分类学学会出版并定期更新经过同行评审的物种和亚种列表。为了实现有效的分类学保护，全世界都必须同步开展这项工作。
