[Taxacom] Solanum systematics project

[John Grehan]

Really great to hear! I was reacting to the posting and certainly using
it to raise general points for discussion. I look forward to seeing
announcements of Solanum publications on TAXACOM in the future as I am
sure it will generate some great biogeographic information (please just
don't overlook the inclusion of good distribution maps - another problem
all too often made by systematists).

John Grehan

Dr. John R. Grehan
Director of Science and Collections
Buffalo Museum of Science1020 Humboldt Parkway
Buffalo, NY 14211-1193
email: jgrehan at sciencebuff.org
Phone: (716) 896-5200 ext 372

 
Panbiogeography
http://www.sciencebuff.org/biogeography_and_evolutionary_biology.php
Ghost moth research
http://www.sciencebuff.org/systematics_and_evolution_of_hepialdiae.php
Human evolution and the great apes
http://www.sciencebuff.org/human_origin_and_the_great_apes.php
 

> -----Original Message-----
> From: taxacom-bounces at mailman.nhm.ku.edu [mailto:taxacom-
> bounces at mailman.nhm.ku.edu] On Behalf Of Lynn Bohs
> Sent: Friday, January 19, 2007 2:57 PM
> To: taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu
> Subject: [Taxacom] Solanum systematics project
> 
> Dear Taxacom,
> 	Wow, I never expected my innocent post-doc ad to invoke a
> storm of criticism!  Just to clarify, this post-doc position is part
> of a large NSF-funded project to monograph the entire genus Solanum.
> The project is completely rooted in traditional taxonomy,
> nomenclature, morphology, and field work and the four PIs all have
> extensive experience in Solanum taxonomy based on morphological
> features.  The University of Utah is only one of four main nodes of
> the project and the one responsible for generating much of the
> molecular phylogenetic data on Solanum, hence the emphasis on
> molecular phylogenetic experience in the job ad.  Two of the other
> project nodes include the New York Botanical Garden and the Natural
> History Museum, London, both of which contain large collections of
> Solanum specimens and are the sites of much morphological and
> nomenclatural work.  I assure you that morphological systematics is
> actively being pursued in this project, and perhaps it exemplifies
> some of the directions that taxonomy is going in the future.  Please
> visit our web site at http://www.nhm.ac.uk/solanaceaesource/ to see
> more about our approach to on-line monography.  Click on "Project"
> for more information about the project as a whole.  Our nomenclature
> database includes over 6500 published Solanum names and can be
> searched from the home page.  Search on "aphyodendron" in the species
> epithet box for an example of a completed "species page" that
> displays morphological information about the species, images,
> databased specimens, maps, and molecular data.  We still have a lot
> of work to do as a Solanum project and many new tools need
> development by the taxonomic community, but progress is being made.
> We invite suggestions and collaborations from the Taxacomers for
> improvement of this resource.
> 	This project was funded by NSF through the Planetary
> Biodiversity Inventory program, described in more detail at
> http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=103065.  Rather than
> representing a reductionist approach lamented by some of the Taxacom
> contributors, this initiative seeks holistic approaches to
> systematics and biodiversity and is attempting to revive taxonomy and
> field work while promoting electronic dissemination of species
> information.  In my opinion, NSF should be congratulated for
> intitiating and continuing this program.
> 	As a "classical" taxonomist who also works in molecular
> phylogenetics, I agree that systematics is, and should be, a
> multi-dimensional science.  Our PBI Solanum project is attempting to
> put those ideals into practice.
> 
> Lynn Bohs
> --
> Lynn Bohs
> Department of Biology
> 257 South 1400 East
> University of Utah
> Salt Lake City, UT  84112
> (801) 585-0380
> 
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