May 23, 2014 03:03 PM EDT By Russell Westerholm, UniversityHerald Reporter

In a new paper published in the journal Science, more than 100 biologists are challenging a previous study that suggests animal and plant specimen extraction contributes to extinction.

Cody Thompson, an assistant research assistant at the University of Michigan's Museum of Zoology, said in a press release alternatives to specimen collecting are not viable. Those alternatives included high-resolution photography, audio recordings and DNA analysis via nonlethal tissue sampling.

"None of the suggested alternatives to collecting specimens can be used to reliably identify or describe animals and plants," Thompson said in the release. "Moreover, identification often is not the most important reason to collect specimens. Studies that look at the evolution of animal and plant forms through time are impossible without whole specimens. Preserved specimens also provide verifiable data points for monitoring long-term changes in species health and distribution."

The team of scientists who responded to the study published in Science last month said the collection of samples is not a factor in extinction.

"Photographs and audio recordings can't tell you anything about such things as a species' diet, how and where it breeds, how quickly it grows, or its lifespan-information that's critical to assessing extinction risk," Luiz Rocha, of the California Academy of Sciences and organizer of the response letter, said in the release.

Dr. David Blackburn, assistant curator of herpetology at the California Academy of Sciences, said in a separate press release scientific samples are most often made accessible to the general public.

"We don't maintain collections for our own personal benefit," he said. "We collect specimens and manage the collections we have as a resource for the community and the world. We are the stewards of this vital resource, and that means we should share them as widely and freely as possible."

Rocha and her fellow respondents also said specimen collection also leads to understanding issues like climate change and the spread of disease.

"I am delighted, but not surprised, at the outpouring of support from scientists around the world who recognize the importance of collections for both research and conservation," Dr. Meg Lowman, chief of science and sustainability at the California Academy of Sciences, said in the release. "The invaluable specimen collections held by institutions like the Academy provide one of our best tools for understanding and addressing the most pressing sustainability challenges of our time."

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