What does "systematics" mean?
Systematics is the biological study of how organisms are named, classified, and related to each other. Researchers with the National Systematics Laboratory focus on the systematics of marine and coastal species.
What is the National Systematics Laboratory?
The National Systematics Laboratory is a unique part of NOAA Fisheries. Its mission is to conduct systematic, taxonomic, and life history research on marine organisms of economic and ecological value to the United States. Through their research, lab scientists contribute to and advance our understanding of marine biodiversity and ecosystems.
The lab is made up of a team of specialized zoologists. They carry out a variety of responsibilities, including research, education and outreach, and museum curation. As part of their work, they:
Describe new taxa
More fully characterize known taxa
Investigate evolutionary relationships
Build genetic resources and genomic libraries
Respond to external inquiries for species identifications
Collaborate with the broader scientific community
Train the next generation of marine taxonomists
The National Systematics Laboratory is also part of a strategic partnership with the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. As part of this partnership, lab scientists help to manage portions of our nation’s collections of marine biological specimens within the museum’s repository.
Our History
1942: The U.S. Department of the Interior's Bureau of Fisheries, a precursor to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, establishes the National Systematics Laboratory within the Smithsonian Institution.
1970: President Richard Nixon and Congress officially establish the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) within the Department of Commerce. As part of a reorganization plan, they transfer the pre-existing Bureau of Commercial Fisheries from the Department of the Interior to NOAA. They rename the Bureau of Commercial Fisheries to the National Marine Fisheries Service, known informally today as NOAA Fisheries. The National Systematics Laboratory is placed under the domain of the National Marine Fisheries Service's Northeast Fisheries Science Center in Woods Hole, Massachusetts.
2005: NOAA Fisheries and the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History sign a Memorandum of Understanding. This agreement provides the National Systematics Laboratory with physical lab space in the museum and access to museum facilities, funding programs, and research support. In exchange, lab staff curate and manage portions of the museum's marine collections and support relevant museum activities.
Present: Today, the National Systematics Laboratory is a global leader in marine biodiversity and taxonomic research. The lab remains physically located at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History under the domain of NOAA Fisheries.