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Fauna - Taxonomic and Life Cycles

Modern forms of taxonomy have been present in literature for approximately 250 years, with origins of the currently used binomial nomenclature going back to the 18th century[4]. Invertebrates comprise 31 out of the 32 animal phyla, representing almost 75% of all known species on earth[1]. Organising fauna by species classification may assist with communication of where individuals and populations might occur. It may also help inform management processes that target species sharing common characteristics or closely-related ancestry and life history traits.

IUCN Red List - Described Fauna Species Chart (2022) Image by IUCN

Quick facts

More than 7.5 million species
of animals are estimated to live on the earth[3].

Taxonomy

Taxonomy is the field of study that involves both the methods for classification and the description of species. There have been major shifts in taxonomy in recent years due to genomic sequencing technologies and access to refined sampling and monitoring techniques and equipment[2]. It is an important tool for determining fauna biodiversity, as species classification is a primary factor in measuring species richness. It also allows stakeholders or stakeholder groups to discuss specific fauna that share the same characteristics within, or across, environmental systems.

Life cycles

Animal life cycles provide a holistic perspective on the interconnectedness of all life stages of a specific organism or a species as a whole. Some fish species examples are provided on the pages below for the Golden Perch, Hyrtl's catfish, Rainbowfish, eel-tailed catfish and Murray River cod.

WetlandSummary – species lists

The WetlandSummary tool provides a variety of fauna species lists based on a specific area type. For example, native animal species found in the Brisbane River drainage sub-basin. More information on these lists is available at the bottom of every species list page in WetlandSummary.

WildNet

A select number of wetland-related fauna species are described in the pages below, however, for a comprehensive list of all species recognised across Queensland Government please refer to the WildNet database. Information in this database approved for publication is accessible via:

  • Species profile search—an online tool to find species information such as species names, notes and images and download species locations from the WildNet database.
  • Species lists—a tool to generate species lists for Queensland’s protected areas, local government, forestry and nominated areas.
  • Biomaps—an online mapping system to access published WildNet records and other biodiversity related spatial layers and generate environmental reports including WildNet species lists reports for selected properties and drawn areas.
  • Environmental reports online—a tool to generate environmental reports including WildNet species lists reports for nominated properties (Lot on Plan or street address) and tenure numbers.
  • Qld wildlife data API—a platform that retrieves species names, profiles, notes, statuses, images, species survey locations and project information from the WildNet database.
  • Queensland Globe—WildNet records are displayed in the Biota (Flora & Fauna) theme.
  • Atlas of Living Australia—a subset of WildNet records are periodically extracted for incorporation within the atlas.

Pages under this section


References

  1. ^ Eisenhauer, N & Hines, J (October 2021), 'Invertebrate biodiversity and conservation', Current Biology. [online], vol. 31, no. 19, pp. R1214-R1218. Available at: https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0960982221008873 [Accessed 31 August 2023].
  2. ^ Mock, F, Kretschmer, F, Kriese, A, Böcker, S & Marz, M (30 August 2022), 'Taxonomic classification of DNA sequences beyond sequence similarity using deep neural networks', Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. [online], vol. 119, no. 35, p. e2122636119. Available at: https://pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.2122636119 [Accessed 31 August 2023].
  3. ^ Mora, C, Tittensor, DP, Adl, S, Simpson, AGB & Worm, B (23 August 2011), 'How Many Species Are There on Earth and in the Ocean?', PLoS Biology. [online], vol. 9, no. 8, p. e1001127, ed. G M Mace. Available at: https://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.1001127 [Accessed 11 August 2023].
  4. ^ Remsen, D (7 January 2016), 'The use and limits of scientific names in biological informatics', ZooKeys. [online], vol. 550, pp. 207-223. Available at: http://zookeys.pensoft.net/articles.php?id=6234 [Accessed 31 August 2023].

Last updated: 13 October 2023

This page should be cited as:

Department of Environment, Science and Innovation, Queensland (2023) Fauna - Taxonomic and Life Cycles, WetlandInfo website, accessed 18 March 2024. Available at: https://wetlandinfo.des.qld.gov.au/wetlands/ecology/components/biota/fauna/fauna-taxon/

Queensland Government
WetlandInfo   —   Department of Environment, Science and Innovation