Fundamentals in Systematics

[David Orlovich]

On 8/03/2006, at 4:56 AM, Susan B. Farmer wrote:

> If you were going to teach a Fundamentals of Systematics class, what
> papers would you include?
>
> Susan
>

Well these are the ones I've just put together for this semester.  I 
also include a selection of my own papers, that I haven't listed here.  
I admit it is an eclectic mix.  The students get a few lectures from me 
on each topic, and we dedicate at least a lecture per topic to 
discussing the literature.

Cheers, David Orlovich

Classification

Mayr E 1998. Perspective. Two empires or three. Proceedings of the 
National Academy of Sciences USA 95, 9720-9723.

Woese CR 1998. Perspective. Default taxonomy: Ernst Mayr’s view of the 
microbial world. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA 
95, 11043-11046.

Nomenclature

Entwisle TJ, Weston PH 2005. Majority rules, when systematists 
disagree. Australian Systematic Botany 18, 1-6.

Phylogenetics

Funk VA 2001. SSZ 1970-1989: A view of the years of conflict. 
Systematic Biology 50, 153-155.

Felsenstein J 2001. The troubled growth of statistical phylogenetics. 
Systematic Biology 50, 465-467.

Hibbett DS, Gilbert L-B, Donoghue MJ 2000. Evolutionary instability of 
ectomycorrhizal symbioses in basidiomycetes. Nature 407, 506-508. 
(example of use of phylogenetic trees)

Barkman TJ, Lim S-H, Salleh KM, Nais J 2004. Mitochondrial DNA 
sequences reveal the photosynthetic relatives Rafflesia, the world’s 
largest flower. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA 
101, 787-792.

Barkman TJ, Chenery G, McNeal JR, Lyons-Weiler J, Ellisens WJ, Moore G, 
Wolfe AD, dePamphilis CW 2000. Independent and combined analyses of 
sequences from all three genomic compartments converge on the root of 
flowering plantphylogeny. Proceedings of the National Academy of 
Sciences USA 97, 13116-13171.

I try to get a debate going about the current focus on molecular 
systematics, and give the students the following papers.

Isley D 1972. The disappearance. Taxon 21, 3-12.

Lammers TG 1999. Commentary. Plant systematics today: All our eggs in 
one basket? Systematic Botany 24, 494-496.

Stace CA 2005. Plant taxonomy and biosystematics – does DNA provide all 
the answers? Taxon 54, 999-1007.

Cresci JV 2006. Commentary. One-dimensional systematist: Perils in a 
time of steady progress. Systematic Botany 31, 217-221.

Hebert PDN, Cywinska A, Ball SL 2002. Biological identifications 
through DNA barcodes. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, 
Series B DOI10.1098/rspb.2002.2218.

Hebert PDN, Stoeckle MY, Zemlak TS, Francis CM 2004. Identification of 
birds through DNA barcodes. PLoS Biology 2, e312.

Hebert PDN, Penton EH, Burns JM, Janzen DH, Hallwachs W 2004. Ten 
species in one; DNA barcoding reveals cryptic species in the 
neotropical skipper butterfly Astraptes fulgerator. Proceedings of the 
National Academy of Sciences USA101, 14812-14817.

Moritz C, Cicero C 2004. Correspondence: DNA barcoding: Promise and 
pitfalls. PLoS Biology 2, e354.



> And on a similar note to the Phylogenetics text question ...
>
> In our department, there are several "Fundamentals" classes that all
> graduate students are required to take wherein they read the classic
> papers of the particular topic -- "Fundamentals in Evolution" and
> "Fundamentals of Ecology" for 2 of them.
>
> If you were going to teach a Fundamentals of Systematics class, what
> papers would you include?
>
> Susan
> -----
> Susan Farmer
> sfarmer at goldsword.com
> University of Tennessee
> Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
> http://www.goldsword.com/sfarmer/Trillium/
>
Dr David Orlovich,
Senior Lecturer in Botany.

Department of Botany,
University of Otago,
P.O. Box 56,
(Courier: 464 Great King Street)
Dunedin,
New Zealand.

Phone: +643 479 9060
Fax: +643 479 7583
Mobile: +6421 122 7230

Web: http://www.botany.otago.ac.nz/

Ecology, Conservation and Biodiversity Research Group: 
http://www.otago.ac.nz/erg/

Botanical Society of Otago: http://www.botany.otago.ac.nz/bso/