Bringing botany into the 21st Century

"Botanical taxonomy, which extends to include the formal scientific naming of all plants, algae and fungi has gone through a landmark change in the procedure scientists need to follow when they describe new species. Details of the forthcoming changes to the newly-named 'International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi and plants' are laid out by Dr Sandra Knapp and colleagues in an article published in BioMed Central's open access journal BMC Evolutionary Biology....[The] existing, somewhat archaic, requirement for printed descriptions of new species to be deposited in relevant institutions has been a frustrating requirement of the code for scientists choosing to publish in online-only journals, such as BMC Evolutionary Biology....This has become an impediment to science....Changes to the international Code for naming algae, fungi or plants are decided on every six years at the International Botanical Congresses (IBC). Earlier this year, at the XVIII IBC held in Melbourne, Australia, it was decided that from 1 January 2012 scientists who describe new taxa (species, genera, families) will be able to publish their discoveries entirely online [e.g. in an OA journal]....These changes that will appear in the 'Melbourne Code' as it will be known...."