How Taxonomic Bias Impacts Biodiversity Research: A Story of Lichens

Taxonomic bias is an unequal distribution of research, funding, and attention directed at certain species disproportionally to their occurrence in nature, with certain taxa receiving almost no consideration. The effects of this are multifaceted, affecting multiple settings such as biodiversity research, public perception, and the process for evaluating the vulnerability of a species (IUCN Red Listing). This thesis explores how taxonomic bias creates bias against certain groups such as lichens through a literature review and examines where this bias comes from through a qualitative survey about social bias for or against certain species groups.