The Invisible Majority: Disciplinary Bias and the Systematic Neglect of Real Biodiversity

Ryota Hayashi , Shota Shibasaki 

Taxonomy underpins all biodiversity sciences, yet its essential role in measuring and managing life on Earth remains underrecognized in conservation and policy frameworks. Analyzing 360 articles from 12 leading ecology and taxonomy journals in 2024, we reveal that ecologists overwhelmingly focus on historically familiar vertebrates, while taxonomists emphasize recently described invertebrates—the overlooked majority of real biodiversity. These contrasting “Species Scapes” illustrate how disciplinary perspectives systematically shape what counts as biodiversity, with direct consequences for conservation and policy frameworks that depend on accurate taxonomic data. Integrating taxonomic expertise into biodiversity governance is essential for comprehensive policy implementation.