This discipline includes taxonomy, the classification of organisms. Systematics is important because it serves as an information-retrieval system and provides the means of predicting the distribution of characteristics among organisms. Systematic entomologists work in the laboratory and field, classifying insects according to their presumed, natural relationships. They identify new species, catalogue and curate specimens, and, thus, they assist in protecting biological diversity. Systematic entomologists are employed by universities, federal agencies, and museums.
Biodiversity comes to fruition in restoration ecology.
Others are conducting research using insect populations as an index of ecological conditions. The future of conservation entomology will be shaped by a variety of factors including the vast array of scientific, societal, and environmental issues that transcend the science. The interaction between private interests, politics, and public perception on the relevance of biodiversity will have a profound influence on future directions in this area through the establishment of funding priorities and mechanisms. Entomologists have the tremendous task ahead of them to convince society of the fundamental importance of nonpest insects to the physical and cultural preservation of future generations. Leslie Saul Gershenz, Entomologist Leslie Saul Gershenz is the Insect Zoo Director at the San Francisco Zoo in California.