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Organism Individual

vr.wm-liv-002 · wm-liv-002-organism-individual

One identified living or once-living organism tracked as a distinct specimen of its taxon.

World Models Physical world and living systems PHY.LIV.ORG
Bundle → Layer → Finding → QuestionsClassifiersWhat it isWhy it existsDistinguishing featuresWhat robots and AI may and may not doMoral aspectsOwnersLinks to other meta-modelsIdentity and identifiersDirect propertiesRecognitionCapabilities and actionsHazards and failure modesStandards and interfacesContext of useSources

Bundle → Layer → Finding → Questions Filled

3 bundles · 4 layers · 6 findings · 12 questions

Identity and classification Which individual this is and what it is.

Individual identity

Marks, tags and records that keep one individual distinct from others.

Identifier and marking

The tags, marks or registry numbers that identify the individual.

  1. Which tag, microchip, ring or registry number identifies the individual?
  2. Has the identifier ever been reassigned or duplicated?

Taxonomic determination

The taxon assigned to the individual, by whom and how.

  1. Which taxon is the individual determined as, and to what rank?
  2. Who made the determination, and by which method?
Life history Where the individual came from and what happened to it.

Origin and lineage

Birth, hatching, germination or capture, and parentage where known.

Origin event

When and where the individual began life or entered records.

  1. When and where was the individual born, hatched, germinated or first recorded?
  2. Was it wild-caught, captive-bred or cultivated?

Parentage

Known or claimed parents of the individual.

  1. Who are the recorded parents, and is parentage verified genetically?
  2. Which pedigree or studbook records the individual?

Custody and location

Who holds the individual and where it is.

Current holder

The keeper, owner or institution responsible for the individual.

  1. Who currently holds or is responsible for the individual?
  2. Does the holder have the permits required for this taxon?
State The observed condition of the individual.

Observed condition

Measurements and observations of the individual at a date.

Life status and health

Whether the individual is alive and its recorded health state.

  1. Is the individual alive, dead or of unknown status as of the latest record?
  2. Which health or welfare observations were recorded, and when?

Classifiers Filled

Family
World Models
Category
Physical world and living systems
Entry kind
entity
Navigation path
NAV.PHY.LIV.ORG
Domain
PHY.LIV.ORG
Industry
Cross-industry
Tags
organismindividualphy.liv.org

What it is Filled

An organism individual is one living or once-living organism, such as a single animal, plant, fungus or microbial isolate, tracked as a distinct specimen of its taxon. It covers the individual's identity, life history and observed state, not the taxon it belongs to, the population it lives in, or a sample taken from it.

In scope

  • Persistent identity, recognition evidence and revisable taxonomic determinations
  • Uncertain origin, life status, observed properties, behavior and contextual capability assertions
  • Occurrence, custody, lineage, population and sample references with provenance and disclosure controls

Out of scope

  • Taxon definitions, population dynamics, pedigrees, sample processing, genome assemblies and clinical diagnosis lifecycles
  • Collectives without a defensible individual boundary, including mixed cultures and pooled samples; ambiguous colony, clone, fusion and fission cases await a specialist profile
  • Person identity, social roles and health records are separately mastered; any human biological projection requires an approved privacy profile
  • Capture, breeding, treatment, cultivation, pathogen manipulation, physical transfer, permit issuance and enforcement operations

Why it exists Filled

One identified living or once-living organism tracked as a distinct specimen of its taxon.

Distinguishing features Filled

  • It describes one individual, while a taxon describes a kind and a population describes a group.
  • Identity persists through growth, moult and life stages, so it rests on marks and records rather than appearance alone.
  • A sample or specimen taken from the individual is a separate record that points back to it.
  • Distinct from a cultivated variety or breed, which are classes defined by human selection.

What robots and AI may and may not do Filled

Must not

  • Publish precise locations of individuals of threatened or poached species.
  • Assign parentage or taxon without stating the evidence and method.
  • Merge records of two individuals because they look alike without checking identifiers.
  • Issue instructions for handling, capture or treatment of an animal beyond general welfare guidance.
  • Alter past observations instead of adding corrections.

Only with a human decision

  • Transferring custody of an individual of a protected taxon.
  • Recording a veterinary diagnosis or euthanasia decision.
  • Releasing an individual into the wild.

May

  • Record observations, measurements and identifiers for an individual with date and observer.
  • Link an individual to its taxon, parents, holder and samples.
  • Flag an individual whose holder lacks a recorded permit for a protected taxon.
  • Summarize the life history of an individual for an entitled requester.

Moral aspects Filled

  • Location records of rare individuals can lead poachers or collectors to them.
  • Records of animals in care affect their welfare decisions and must be accurate.
  • Ownership and trade records of individuals can expose holders to legal and reputational risk.

Who is affected

  • The organisms themselves
  • Keepers, owners and breeders
  • Conservation bodies and researchers
  • Wildlife enforcement authorities

Owners Filled

Steward

The keeper, owner or holding institution answers for the record of each individual, with a researcher or registry answering for wild individuals.

Roles

Record steward
Maintain individual identity, boundary profile and reversible record corrections
Observer
Submit attributed evidence with method, time and uncertainty
Scientific reviewer
Review identity disputes, taxon determinations and ambiguous individuality
Disclosure reviewer
Approve purpose-bound views, exceptions and sensitivity controls
Custodian
Attest scoped custody facts without asserting legal title solely from possession

Master systems

  • Animal identification and traceability register
  • Zoo and studbook record system
  • Biological collection management system
  • Field observation database

Links to other meta-models Filled

references

  • WM-LIV-001 Taxon - Proposed binding, not a frozen registry edge. Taxon concepts and nomenclature stay external; carry determination references with vocabulary revisions.
  • WM-LIV-003 Population - Proposed binding, not a frozen registry edge. Membership is time-qualified; population statistics and dynamics stay external.
  • WM-LIV-017 Pedigree / Biological Lineage - Proposed binding, not a frozen registry edge. Reference the lineage assertion and revision; do not own graph reconciliation.
  • WM-LIV-023 Clinical / Biological Specimen - Proposed binding, not a frozen registry edge. Keep material identity, processing and storage external, including whole-body material records.
  • WM-MAT-008 Observation / Measurement Record - Proposed binding, not a frozen registry edge. Link observation evidence and summarize qualified properties; instruments and observation lifecycle stay external.
  • WM-LIV-015 Phenotype / Trait - Proposed binding, not a frozen registry edge. Reference trait definitions; individual trait assertions do not define the trait ontology.
  • WM-PER-001 Person - Proposed binding, not a frozen registry edge. Optional privacy-controlled biological projection; social and legal identity are not owned here.
  • WM-LIV-021 Disease / Biological Condition - Proposed binding, not a frozen registry edge. Reference expert condition assertions only; do not infer diagnosis or prescribe treatment.
  • wm-liv-001-taxon - Each individual is determined as a taxon.

neighbor

  • WM-LIV-001 Taxon - Taxon concepts and nomenclature stay external; carry determination references with vocabulary revisions.
  • WM-LIV-003 Population - Membership is time-qualified; population statistics and dynamics stay external.
  • WM-LIV-017 Pedigree / Biological Lineage - Reference the lineage assertion and revision; do not own graph reconciliation.
  • WM-LIV-023 Clinical / Biological Specimen - Keep material identity, processing and storage external, including whole-body material records.
  • WM-MAT-008 Observation / Measurement Record - Link observation evidence and summarize qualified properties; instruments and observation lifecycle stay external.
  • WM-LIV-015 Phenotype / Trait - Reference trait definitions; individual trait assertions do not define the trait ontology.
  • WM-PER-001 Person - Optional privacy-controlled biological projection; social and legal identity are not owned here.
  • WM-LIV-021 Disease / Biological Condition - Reference expert condition assertions only; do not infer diagnosis or prescribe treatment.
  • Darwin Core Organism and BioSample - Darwin Core includes groups; this model admits only a declared individual. A culture accession, pooled specimen or environmental isolate is not proof of one individual. No legacy alias or relation-ledger entry exists in the frozen registry context.

part-of

  • wm-liv-003-population - An individual can be counted as a member of a population.

related

  • wm-liv-017-pedigree-biological-lineage - Parentage of individuals forms pedigrees.

What else AI and robots need to interact with it Filled

Identity and identifiers required Filled

  • Animals can carry ear tags, rings, microchips or tattoos, with RFID transponders coded under ISO 11784.
  • Kept and studbook animals have registry numbers in herd books, studbooks or national traceability registers.
  • Wild individuals can be identified by marks, photo identification or genetic profile within a study.
  • Collection specimens carry institution and catalogue numbers.

Direct properties required Filled

  • Body mass in kilograms or grams, with date and measuring method.
  • Length or height in metres or centimetres, stating which body measure was taken.
  • Age or age estimate in days or years, with the estimation method.
  • Sex and life stage as observed or determined, with method.
  • Body temperature in degrees Celsius for animals in care, with site of measurement.

Recognition required Filled

  • An individual is recognized by its tag or mark, distinctive natural markings, genetic profile or position in a fixed planting.
  • Easily confused with siblings, look-alike conspecifics or a replacement individual given the same name.

Capabilities and actions required Filled

  • Individuals can be tagged, observed, measured, sampled and moved between holders.
  • Their records can be linked across studies and registries when identifiers are shared.

Hazards and failure modes required Filled

  • Bites, stings, toxins and zoonotic disease from handling animals.
  • Spread of disease or invasive organisms when individuals are moved.
  • Stress or injury to the organism from capture and handling.

Standards and interfaces required Filled

  • Darwin Core for occurrence and specimen records.
  • ISO 11784 and ISO 11785 for animal RFID identification.
  • CITES permits for international trade in listed species.

Context of use required Filled

  • Used in livestock traceability, zoos, botanical gardens, biological collections and field research.
  • Movement and trade of many individuals is regulated by animal health and wildlife protection law.

Sources Filled

  1. Darwin Core Quick Reference Guide - Biodiversity Information Standards (TDWG)
  2. Phenopacket schema - Individual - Global Alliance for Genomics and Health
  3. Semantic Sensor Network Ontology - World Wide Web Consortium
  4. PROV-O: The PROV Ontology - World Wide Web Consortium
  5. Current Best Practices for Generalizing Sensitive Species Occurrence Data - Global Biodiversity Information Facility
  6. BioSample Submission FAQ - National Center for Biotechnology Information
  7. RFC 3339 - Date and Time on the Internet: Timestamps - Internet Engineering Task Force
  8. Darwin Core standard (Biodiversity Information Standards, TDWG)
  9. ISO 11784 Radio frequency identification of animals - Code structure (ISO)
  10. Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)

Open questions

  • Restore independent second-provider review before canonical promotion.
  • Run coordinator HTTP checks, pin living documentation releases and independently assess claim support and applicable licenses.
  • Develop taxon-specific individuality and human-data profiles plus nested schemas and fixtures for tag reuse, non-detection, pooled samples, fusion/fission, stale location and disclosure linkage.
  • Independent second-provider review is absent; the subsequent local audit cannot replace it
  • Complete pinned source/version verification and direct HTTP measurements are pending coordinator execution
  • Nested instance schemas, vocabulary bindings, mappings and adversarial fixtures are not implemented
  • Specialist individuality, human privacy, welfare, biosafety, permit and jurisdiction profiles require qualified review; no operational guidance is supplied

Machine files

Card as JSON Specification AGENTS.md Source Card backlog vercy.card/1

Provenance

world-models research · reviewable-draft

Built from: models/wm-liv-002-organism-individual/spec.yaml, ver-cy/world-models/card-supplements/wm-liv-002-organism-individual.json