Descriptive morphology and taxonomy That is because zoology is rapidly evolving to be a multi-modal science that operates on the organismic to molecular scale (i.e., it extends beyond the level of the ecosystem). To address that global crisis in biodiversity, scientists have combined genomics and environmental DNA (eDNA) analysis with morphometrics and imagery, behavior studies through biologging, trail cameras, and vocal monitoring, and landscape studies using remote-sensing tools. These varied approaches are now joined together by artificial intelligence and open data platforms and are opening new avenues to real-time biodiversity discovery and predictive conservation. However, questions also remain: the knowledge gap in taxonomy, bias in occurrence data, incomplete validation of models using either eDNA or acoustics data, and the lack of standards addressing blending multi-modal data. Moral imperatives such as animal welfare in tracking, fairness in international partnerships and data sovereignty are still burning. This paper presents an outline of Integrative Zoology and presents case studies of how it is transforming our basic understanding of the cryptic species, how it tracks movement and decline, and how it can inform conservation analysis. By integrating the traditional study of zoology with the newest of technologies, the discipline can transform into a science of awareness of biodiversity, infrastructure that is ready to directly assist the conservation policy and resilience of the planet.
Abbas et al. (Fri,) studied this question.