Cracraft（2002）提出了生物系统学面临的7个大的科学问题。他围绕物种概念（演化单元）、性状（演化信息）、系统发育历史（演化过程）和物种多样性与分布格局（演化结果），阐述了下列问题。

1. What is a species?

2. How many species are there?

3. What is the tree of life?

4. What has been the history of character transformation?

5. Where are earth's species distributed?

6. How have species distributions changed over time?

7. How is phylogenetic history predictive?

在大数据的时代，新技术不断涌现，生物系统学和其它快速发展的学科交叉势在必行。现在生物系统学面临什么样的挑战？生物系统学在未来的5-20年内将往何处发展？我们可以采取什么样的策略超前规划和响应？我们迫切需要思考这个领域新产生的大科学问题。

Cracraft, J., 2002. The seven great questions of systematic biology: anessential foundation for conservation and the sustainable use ofbiodiversity. Ann. Missouri Bot. Garden, 89, 303–304.