Full schema as HTML

Full schema as XSD

The TaxonomicType]] element contains standard Darwin Core elements such as TCSGUID, ScientificName, Authors, Kingdom, FamilyName, CommonNames, TaxonDataSources, and LifeForm. The LifeForm element contains a lookup that will support queries using simple terms like fish, insect, grass or reptile, and a DefinedSchemaType sequence to support information such as “Ardisia elliptica is a geophyte according to the Raunkiaer system”. The TCSGUID ensures continuity when an organism’s name is changed. The CommonNames element allows the language and location of use of a common name to be recorded against each common name. -- MichaelBrown?

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Althought this might have been discussed several times (...) I am not quite sure if the "life form" definitions for plants are satisfactory: In contrast to the animal definitions (which cover taxonomic groups) they mostley cover life forms but distinguish sometimes very detailed ("gras, rush, sedge"), somtimes not ("herb" reaching from a small annual or even intermittent (desert-)weed/therophyte over Geophytes to perannial shrub-like tall herbs like knotweed/Fallopia). Moreover, I am not sure if all plants fit into the scheme: What about epiphytes (most of global plant diversity are tropical orchids growing as epiphytes) and parasitic plants (e.g. Viscum or Arceuthobium growing as perannial plants (shrubs?herbs?) on woody species)? Mosses (Campylopus introflexus the most invasive plant on coastal dunes and rocks in northern Europe) and lichens are completly missing. Perhaps a feedback of globaly experinced botanists/plant geographers could help.-- MichaelBrown? for FrankKlingsentein? via email

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Yes, you can record where particular common names are used. If you download diags.zip (see the link at the top of this page) and go to ProfileRoot/ReportedData/TaxonData/Taxon/CommonNames, you will see sub-elements for; CommonName,Language and LocationOfUse.  
Local names are a common point of entry. You can search the Gobal Invasive Species Database using common names (www.issg.org/database). Local scripts are less common (see Fishbase at www.fishbase.org). -- MichaelBrown?

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I presume the CommonNames field will have the facility to supply which region the various common names are from. For example, in Australia Christmas Beetles are totally different animals from each of the Australian states RobEmery 23 Sep 2005

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I wonder if the Genus and Species should be kept as separate fields and just joined together in reports to make the ScientificName. I suspect this may make it easier to query on genera AnnieSimpson 22 Sep 2005

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I agree that the life forms section still needs work (protozoans are not reflected in this list, either). But I do think it is also important to use simple, commonly-understood terms and clump more than split the groups. How about the term "starfish and kin" to include all echinoderms? And would the term "microorganism" be too broad or inaccurate? It would include bacteria, protozoans (even bigger ones), viruses, but not microscopic molds (which are fungi)? I also think the general term "helminth worms" should be considered for the 10+ worm phyla.--Main.BrianSteves 21 Sep 2005

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Strike my comment about the DefinedSchemaType, after further inspection I know see that it's a way to add things not speficially on this list. However, I still think the "LifeForm" list can use some work in filling in major taxonomic gaps. ---Main.BrianSteves 21 Sep 2005

-- Adapted from previous forum by BobMorris - 22 Oct 2005