biology

International Institute for Species Exploration

International Institute for Species Exploration is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand International Institute for Species Exploration rather than just read about it. In short: The International Institute for Species Exploration (IISE) was a research institute located in Syracuse, New York. Its mission was to improve taxonomical exploration and the cataloging of new species of flora and fauna.

Key takeaways

International Institute for Species Exploration belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect International Institute for Species Exploration to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of International Institute for Species Exploration from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The International Institute for Species Exploration (IISE) was a research institute located in Syracuse, New York. Its mission was to improve taxonomical exploration and the cataloging of new species of flora and fauna. Between 2008 and 2018, IISE published a yearly "Top 10" of the most unusual or unique biota newly identified in the previous year, with the aim of drawing attention to the work done in taxonomy across the world over the previous year. In 2011, the institute contributed towards the estimate that Earth was home to approximately 8.7 million species. The institute disbanded in 2018 when its founder, Quentin D. Wheeler, resigned.

Overview The International Institute for Species Exploration (IISE) was a research facility dedicated to cataloging the Earth's species across all biological kingdoms. IISE cited three reasons why an improved taxonomic understanding of life is important: without knowing what exists today, humans will be unable to tell when species go extinct; the diversity of life driven by billions of years of natural selection means nature likely holds the answers to many human problems; and to better appreciate our place in the world. IISE was hosted by the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry and located in Syracuse, New York, United States. It was founded in 2007. IISE was previously associated with Arizona State University. The institute's executive director was Quentin D. Wheeler, an entomologist. In 2011, the Institute contributed to a widely publicized estimate that Earth is home to approximately 8.7 million species.

Top 10 New Species list Between 2008 and 2018, the IISE published an annual list of the "Top 10 New Species" in an effort to increase public awareness of the diversity of life on Earth. The list was credited with bringing attention to the abundance of new discovers, just as the world's species are declining. Additionally, Wheeler said he hopes it spurs a sense of urgency to catalog Earth's creatures. Each year an international panel picked the list from the 17,000–18,000 species described during the previous calendar year, emphasizing diversity with their picks. To be eligible for inclusion, the species must have been formally described in an accredited scientific journal and named within the previous calendar year. The list was published on or just before May 23, the birthday of Carl Linnaeus, the "father" of taxonomy. The list was unordered. According to selection committee chair Antonio Valdecasas, it was very difficult to select the list due to the large number of species discovered each year. He added that he was "always surprised" by the diverse discoveries each year and that we are "very far" from a complete description of life on Earth. The list regularly drew considerable press attention. The Delhi Daily News said the list "highlights the most amazing species found last year", while the New Zealand Herald called the creatures it features "bizarre discoveries". TIME magazine called the list the "best of the best when it comes to new life".

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012 The Top 10 New Species for 2012 were announced on May 24, 2012, and included (in alphabetical order):

2013 The Top 10 New Species for 2013 were announced on May 22, 2013, and included (in alphabetical order):

2014 The 2014 list was announced on May 22, 2014. According to National Geographic, the list featured "a lineup of startling creatures notable for their scrappiness, weirdness, thrift, and sloth."

2015 The list was announced on 23 May, to coincide with the birthday of Carolus Linnaeus.

2016

2017

2018

State of observed species report The IISE also released an annual report that inventoried the complete list of species cataloged two years prior and discussed the state of new species discovery. The 2011 report, for example, found that 19,232 species were named in 2009, a 5.6% increase over the prior year. The report took about two years to compile due to the lack of standardized registration for new species, an issue on which the IISE campaigned. It routinely found that insects made up roughly half of all new species discovered, followed by vascular plants and arachnids.

References

External links Homepage Archived July 14, 2016, at the Wayback Machine The Top 10 New Species list Archived August 18, 2021, at the Wayback Machine

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with International Institute for Species Exploration

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what International Institute for Species Exploration claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to International Institute for Species Exploration before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about International Institute for Species Exploration ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of International Institute for Species Exploration

In research: International Institute for Species Exploration appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses International Institute for Species Exploration in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: International Institute for Species Exploration is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 2007 establishments in Arizona, American organizations established in 2007, Biological research institutes in the United States, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for International Institute for Species Exploration outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study International Institute for Species Exploration in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what International Institute for Species Exploration means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain International Institute for Species Exploration out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is International Institute for Species Exploration in simple terms?

Why does International Institute for Species Exploration matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study International Institute for Species Exploration?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on International Institute for Species Exploration.