Ecology and Systematics

[Les Kaufman]

The study of phylogeography of extant organisms involves a very great
deal of both ecology and cladistics.  This equates more or less to the
study of spatial factors in evolutionary ecology, which is a pretty big
field.  I don't think there's such a vacuum here.  It's unfortunate that
we're so ignorant about the phylogenies of most organisms.  But that
hasn't made us geniuses about their ecologies either.


STEPHEN MANNING wrote:
>
> Hello all,
>
> Recently, in an article in "Academe", I saw reference to organizations with
> nifty names indicating fresh input into fields with which they are not
> conventionally associated, such as the "Group for the Use of Psychology in
> History" and the "Society for the Scientific Study of Religion".  That
> stimulated me to think of a possible name for something I think is missing
> but needed closer to our area.  This is the "Society for the Use of Ecology
> in Systematics" or even "Group for the Use of Ecology in Cladistics" or "in
> Taxonomy".  Does this resonate with anyone?  Does such an organization
> exist already?
>
> I recall recently there was a post lamenting the absence of "place" in
> systematics; I agreed mentally that this could be an important input.  I
> have also felt for a long time that environmental factors, including
> historical ones when inferences can be made about them, also should be
> routinely considered in interpreting taxonomic data.
>
> Steve Manning

--
Les Kaufman
Biology Department
Boston University
5 Cummington St.
Boston, MA 02215
lesk at bu.edu
617-353-5560 office
617-353-6965 lab
617-353-6340 fax

and

BUMP
7 MBL St.
Woods Hole, MA 02543
508-289-7579 office
508-289-7950 fax