Nationalnyckeln till Sveriges flora och fauna

Nationalnyckeln till Sveriges flora och fauna ( Swedish for National key to Sweden's flora and fauna, short Nationalnyckeln ) is a currently arising botanical and zoological reference work that was commissioned by the Swedish Parliament in order. It should describe in its completion, the entire Swedish plant and animal world in general, and shall enable the determination of each occurring in Sweden plant, fungal and animal species for botanical and zoological laity.

4.1 volumes have already appeared in systematic order
4.2 Announced volumes
4.3 already appeared field identification key

Order

The publication of the Nationalnyckeln based on a decision of the Swedish Diet of 2002 and has the aim of promoting, at the population 's interest in the species and their living environment and to expand their general knowledge in this area. The Swedish government is the project from tax revenues 25,000,000 Swedish kronor (equivalent to approximately 2.8 million euros ) annually over a period of 20 years. It is worldwide the only work of its kind. With an estimated 100 volumes and 44,000 pages of Nationalnyckeln is Sweden's largest book project ever. The first volume appeared in 2005; In January 2011, 12 volumes were published.

All in Sweden domestic multicellular plant, animal and fungi species - a total of about 50,000 to 60,000 - are to be identified, mapped their occurrence and biology and life are comprehensively presented in words and pictures. The latter occurs also for non-biologists understand way, so that it is in spite of the very high level of expertise and the reference plant character to a popular scientific work. At the same time Nationalnyckeln forms a universal identification key of all biota in Sweden. As a companion volume in addition field determination keys are created, which are different from the large-format volumes of the main facility for off-road use. With training courses and free accompanying teaching materials teachers and schools should be supported as multipliers.

The Nationalnyckeln appears independent of commercial publishers. The approximately 28- member editorial staff of the factory is located in Uppsala at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences ( Sveriges Lantbruksuniversitet, SLU ). In each case, working in parallel to about 10 volumes, of which are currently completed a year about two. The completion of the entire work is therefore not foreseen before 2030 even with the announced increase in frequency of appearance of the volumes. The waiver of a financial gain in the creation and marketing is explicitly politically desirable; the consequent relatively low price of the high-quality volumes (250, - Swedish crowns per band in the subscription, corresponding to about 28 euros ) is to serve the spread within the general population.

Creation

Swedish project types

The completion of the work is the "Swedish style project" to capture and mapping of the occurring species in Sweden. Within this framework, extensive field research is conducted. The inventory of the Swedish marine flora and fauna, for example, was started in 2006 and completed in 2009, this was partially with the University of Bergen, Norway, worked. Even before that was between 2002 and 2006 in a large project under the direction of Naturhistoriska Riksmuseet a nationwide inventory of insects is done .. About the scientific inventory addition is also resorted to a publicly accessible and ergänzbare Species Database, can in which amateurs Artbeobachtungen (Report see links).

Taxonomic research

In addition to the inventory and mapping of the taxonomic classification of species is time consuming especially in understudied organisms and taxonomic groups takes place. They eventually leads to a list of species in which all species are included that regularly occurred in Sweden after 1900. By 2008, about 750 new species have been through the project types already discovered and described, as well as the incidence in Sweden was more than 1,200 species not previously known. Many taxonomic groups are recognized over Sweden addition, for all of Scandinavia, which will be noted later on the front pages of the respective volumes.

Swedish naming all types

A formed in the framework of the Swedish species project names committee has the task to create Swedish names for all species so far carry only one scientific name. This is the case for the vast majority of the species. The Swedish naming stems from the goal of easier accessibility and developing the theme for people who do not belong to the audience.

Preparation of identification keys

This is followed by the creation of dichotomous keys that are specifically illustrated, to allow also non-biologists to determine the individual species.

Text and image creation

The descriptive and in-depth texts on the species are written by experts in the respective fields for the Nationalnyckeln, then proofread editorial and may be revised to ensure their comprehensibility. Imaging is largely remade for the work; is other than to conventional and photomicrographs also numerous watercolors and digitally created illustrations, moreover, in the representation, for example, functional - anatomic structures are also computer-based 3D modeling is used.

Criticism and problems

The front desk Sweden was mostly very positive; outside the country, the project is poorly understood. Criticism has been leveled at the very detailed morphological description of the species that was superfluous by the excellent illustrations in this length.

One problem is that for rare and little-known taxonomic groups, only a few experts in Sweden exist, some of which have already passed the age of retirement. For this reason, the development of volumes on some of these species groups is brought forward.

Expenditure

The Nationalnyckeln appears in two different outfits: one in cloth cover with dust jacket, on the other, with a cover of Swedish reindeer leather with gilt edges ( this issue is no longer in individual volumes since May 2011 available and will only be shipped within the framework of previously ongoing Dauersubskriptionen ). The volumes are arranged according to the taxonomic classification, but do not appear in this order. The position of the band in the whole work is done by means of a letter and Ziffernkodes on the spine.