Biodiversity: time for detailed local studies

Abstract

Biodiversity studies are not only listings of species in local, regional and worldwide faunas and floras. Infraspecific variation might appear an even more exciting field for biodiversity studies. It is common knowledge that species (especially those prospering ones) have large distribution areas. Individuals, demes and populations commonly inhabit distribution areas of their own species unevenly. Remarkable variation of environmental conditions is usually present inside these distribution areas, causing specific trends of adaptive evolution inside the same species, resulting in fixation of locally specific character states, and enforcing designation of various infraspecific units (biotypes, ecotypes, races, subspecies etc.) inside the species. Therefore, detailed ecological, morphological and molecular studies of local populations seem to be urgent for a better understanding of biodiversity and natural management. All this knowledge is summarized by systematics, and might also result in a critical revision of the taxonomic status of a species under analysis. The above statements are illustrated by an example of aphid biodiversity and systematics studies in Lithuania. Keywords: biodiversity, organismal diversity, infraspecific structure, Aphis oenotherae, Lithuania