Oxford Plant Systematics With news from Oxford University Herbaria (OXF and FHO), Department of Plant Sciences, Oxford OPS 9 January 2002 Contents Editorial 4 mm Robert Scotland .................................................................... 2 News items .......................................................................... 3 B C Student progress .................................................................. 3 Timothy Waters Alex Wortley A Abstracts of systematic theses submitted in 2001 ............. 4 1 mm Jonathan Bennett Elizabeth Moylan Julian Starr D 2001 publications ................................................................. 5 Expeditions and visits ......................................................... 5 4 mm 2 cm Refurbishment of Oxford University Herbaria Stephen A. Harris .................................................................. 6 Sibthorp Medal awarded Roger Mills ............................................................................ 8 E F G Oxford, Greek Revival and John Sibthorp H. Walter Lack ...................................................................... 8 H 2 mm Three days plant collecting in Eastern Bolivia 2 mm John Wood .......................................................................... 10 4 mm I Evergreen forest flora of Malawi J K L Book Review Stuart Cable ........................................................................ 12 Herbaria A. Habit. B. Flower section. C. Gynoecium. D. Ovary pubescence. E. Bract. F. Visitors ................................................................ 13 Bracteole. G. Calyx. H. Upper leaf surface. I. Lower leaf surface. J. Capsule. K. Dry seed. L. Seed after wetting. Fielding-Druce (OXF) ......................................... 13 Daubeny (FHO) ................................................... 14 Hemigraphis hirsutissima Merr. is endemic to the island of Luzon in the Philippines. It is easily recognised by its violet flowers subtended by Tropical forest plant field guide project hairy bracteoles and bracts. It was recollected from Benguet Province, William Hawthorne ............................................................. 14 Luzon by Elizabeth Moylan, Ernesto Reynoso & Raymond Fuentes in February 1999 and is one of eighteen species of Hemigraphis found in BRAHMS the Philippines (see page 4). Denis Filer .......................................................................... 15 omy raise fundamental issues about the The late Colin Patterson of the Natural Editorial nature of science. Much scientific research History Museum (London) gave oral is driven by new technological innovations, evidence to the House of Lords Select cutting edge-breakthroughs and a Popperian Committee in 1992 and stated that the two At a time when taxonomy and herbarium hypothesis-testing approach. The global most important questions for a systematist based activities have all but disappeared in research project to complete the species faced with a specimen of an organism are the university sector in the UK, it has been level inventory, at some level of detail, is what is it and where does it fit on the very exciting witnessing the refurbishment neither a hypothesis nor does it demand evolutionary tree or classification? of our Daubeny Herbarium this past cutting edge breakthroughs or new Similarly, the Systematics Agenda 2000 summer. This phase of refurbishment technological advances. Therefore, in the initiative state that the research priorities represents an ongoing financial and UK, and in contrast to funding bodies in the over the next 25 years are to answer the structural commitment to whole organism United States, inventory taxonomy is still following questions: systematics within the Department of Plant mistakenly perceived as old fashioned, and Sciences but also provides an exciting peripheral to the main science agenda rather • What are the Earth's species? opportunity, within a university environ- than as one of the most fundamental, • Where do they occur? ment, to continue taxonomic research in an central, achievable and necessary global • What properties do they have? age in which the biological sciences are scientific goals of the coming century • How are they related? being revolutionized by molecular biology. (Wilson 2000). The issue of systematic and taxonomic Therefore so-called 'alpha taxonomy' is research is currently the focus of renewed The scope of systematics associated with a global research agenda discussion in the UK and has been given a Similar to the term biodiversity the term with a focus on completing and documen- particular focus recently. systematics is pseudocognate, meaning that ting the Earth's species whereas the so called In November 2001, I and two of my we all have a fair idea of what it is but 'omega taxonomy' has come to have a research students (Alex Wortley & Jonathan defining it is not easy. Discussion of the two particular focus on phylogeny recon- Bennett) began to write an opinion article associated terms systematics and taxonomy struction and an understanding of the tree of for Edinburgh Journal of Botany either view them as synonyms and broadly life. Although the four questions posed highlighting the demise of alpha taxonomy defined (Stace, 1989) or view systematics as above are interrelated they also are separate at the expense of phylogeny reconstruction a broader concept that includes taxonomy. in terms of career interests and who does (see below). In December 2001 the House Stace (1989) defines systematics as ‘The what research. Therefore people with of Lords Select Committee on Science & study & description of the variation of particular research skills and focus on Technology decided to revisit (previous organisms, the investigation of the causes inventory issues (the first three questions) report in 1992) the issue of systematics in and consequences of this variation and the are often distinct from those with a focus on the UK by taking evidence over a three- manipulation of the data obtained to building and understanding the tree of life month period with a focus on two questions: produce a system of classification’. Broad (the fourth question). These two research definitions of systematics represent an areas are complementary but distinct not 1. How has the organisation of and accumulated breadth of studies from only in that they are pursued generally by funding for systematic biology in the cytology and genetics (biosystematics), different people, but also, that they demand United Kingdom changed since 1992? phylogeny reconstruction, anatomy, flor- a different set of skills. Thus, the often istics, monography, biogeography, and stated view that research associated with 2. What, if any, are the changes required taxonomy. When taxonomy is defined in the completing the inventory, ‘alpha taxonomy', in this area to enable the United narrower sense, it generally includes the is somehow a mere, albeit important, Kingdom to meet its policy aims on discovery, description, naming and building block for the more intellectually biodiversity? classification of species or groups of challenging and worthwhile task of species. Taxonomy in the narrow sense can understanding evolution and phylogeny is One of the topics I and my students were be associated with a number of different an outdated and wrong-headed conceptual addressing in our paper concerning the terms such as alpha, classical, fundamental, framework to consider the scope of modern relationship between alpha-taxonomy and orthodox, practical, traditional etc (Turrill; systematics. Rather, the 'framework' and phylogeny reconstruction is particularly 1935, 1938). four questions of the priorities for pertinent to the issues being addressed by Attempts to define the scope of systematics systematics outlined in the Systematics the House of Lords. In much biological need to take into account the way in which Agenda 2000 initiative, places both research over the last decade phylogenetic the systematics research agenda has changed inventory taxonomy and phylogeny recon- trees have become common place, as it is as both new sources of data (chemo- struction as the two most important tasks increasingly viewed as important to research taxonomy, palynology, DNA sequencing) facing modern systematics. Furthermore, all aspects of biology within the context of have been introduced but also new methods Wilson (2000) discussed these two priorities phylogeny. Thus in recent times the research of analysis (e.g. cladistics). However, not and stated that ‘Phylogenetic reconstruction, and building of particularly molecular only are new data and methods of analysis currently the dominating focus of phylogenetic trees has been extensive and affecting the scope of systematics, but the systematics obviously is worth doing, but systematics as a subject has enjoyed a questions being addressed have also more scientifically important and far more period of relative growth, resonance and changed as evidenced by the massive urgent for human welfare is the description interest. Unfortunately, this growth in tree interest in phylogeny reconstruction over the and mapping of the world biota’ (see building systematics has not been matched last decade or so. Therefore any attempt to Landrum, 2001 for discussion). in that part of systematics (taxonomy) that is pin down the breadth of systematics is Therefore, in the UK we need to make a attempting to complete the inventory of constrained in time. Perhaps a more decision about whether we wish to play a species which,