The Systematist Newsletter of the Systematics Association Number 32 2010 www.systass.org ISSN 1744-5701 Lead article •The role of systematists in prioritizing conservation efforts SRF Report •Systematics of Tritylodontidae Book reviews •Darwin’s bards •Arachnids •Comparative biogeography Inspirations •Sandra Knapp And also... •President’s report •New in Natural History: the Darwin Centre at the NHM •Numerical taxonomy and the port of last resort The Systematics Association is committed to Editorial furthering all aspects of Systematic biology. It organises a vigorous programme of international A call to our members for either yourself or someone else - conferences on key themes in to our president Juliet Brodie Systematics, including a Dear readers, <[email protected]>. series of major biennial conferences launched in As the International Year of Nominations are open for all 1997. The association also Biodiversity draws to a close, it is systematists, irrespective of supports a variety of training important that we do not let our specialty, and including PhD courses in systematics and enthusiasm and passion for the students and postdocs. awards grants in support of natural world flag. As a leading Nominations should be in by 26 systematics research. international association in November. systematic biology, we can’t afford Membership is open to to lose our momentum in furthering If the newsletter didn’t reach you on amateurs and professionals the science of systematics in the time, or you have missed this with interests in any branch various ways that the community deadline for another reason, please of biology, including has come to expect of us. Even don’t hesitate to contact us anyway microbiology and though we saw our membership if you would like to contribute in palaeontology. Members are grow over the past year, that some way. For example, if you’d generally entitled to attend shouldn’t be a reason for like to write an essay or review a the conferences at a reduced complacency. A larger membership book for The Systematist, please registration rate, to apply for means a greater responsibility, and contact the editor Ronald Jenner grants from the Association more things to do and think about. <[email protected]>. Similarly, if and to receive the For example, we continue to see an you’d like to comment on anything Associations newsletter, The increasing interest in the various published in our newsletter, please Systematist and mailings of research funds that we administer. let us know. We are always on the information. But a broader membership also lookout for interesting copy. means a broader support base that For information on can help us to achieve our goals membership, contact the more effectively. Our charity exists, Membership Secretary, Dr Jon and has always existed, only by the Bennett grace of the time and effort invested ([email protected]), by our dedicated volunteers. That St Pauls School, Lonsdale was as true in the past, when Road, London SW13 9JT, U.K. luminaries such as Julian Huxley and John Gilmour were involved in The Systematist (ISSN 1744- the association, as it is today. 5701) is the Newsletter of the Accordingly, we would like to Systematics Association. invite you, our members, to consider actively contributing to our Editor association. There are various ways Details of the SA Dr Ronald Jenner to do this. For those of you who research grants, Department of Zoology would like to help to support our conference bursaries The Natural History Museum fascinating discipline, and who and funding for the Cromwell Road would like to help determine the London SW7 5BD, UK future direction of systematics, why organisation of ([email protected]) not become a council member of meetings can be found our association? If you would like to at: The Systematics Association contribute, send your nomination - www.systass.org is Registered Charity Number 270429. Cover illustrations: A tritylodontid skull (top photo, © Ian Corfe); a Hispaniolan solenodon, one the world’s higly endangered species of mammal, © Eladio Fernandez, Zoological Society of London. The Systematist 2010 No. 32 2 SynTax. We also have a long record of producing highly respected President’s Report books, which frequently result from the many symposia that we support. By Juliet Brodie These books typically have a lasting s I write this, I am science, and I aim to ensure that we influence, and we currently have nearly a year into my can keep doing what we do well. nine new titles in the pipeline with Presidency, so I The Systematics Association, which our new publisher Cambridge A thought it would be a currently has members from 31 University Press, including a new good idea to reflect on this period countries, provides excellent textbook on phylogenetics. Finally, and also to look into the future. opportunities for scientific of course, there is this newsletter for Although I have been a member of engagement: in addition to the which we are always glad to receive the Systematics Association for Biennial meeting, we hold the copy from our membership. All many years, my first experience annual Young Systematists’ Forum - these activities happen because of serving on Council was in 2004, so now in its 12th year - for people the tremendous effort and dedication taking on the Presidency six years starting out in their careers. We also of the Council members and other later left me wondering whether my host the annual Sir Julian Huxley members of the society. lack of a ‘society memory’ would be Lecture and the President’s Lecture, My hope is that the Systematics a handicap. Having thought about where well-known scientists in the Association will continue to be this for a while and knowing that I field of systematics are invited to forward looking, to explore areas had a youthful and enthusiastic speak, as well as the Policy Lecture that need more attention, including group of people to work with, I which we hold jointly with the wider outreach, to continue to reckoned that this was an excellent Linnean Society. The Systematics develop relations with other time to become President and Association also administers two societies, and to shape and inspire indeed that the lack of the society major funds in support of research systematics and systematists for a memory was possibly an advantage in systematic biology: the long time to come. - few preconceived ideas to Systematics Research Fund and influence progress. One of the first challenges in my President’s Lecture 2010 role was to find a venue for the 8th Biennial meeting in 2011 (4-8th July). This is an important meeting, Cichlid fish as a model for studying especially after the success of the 1st Biosyst meeting in Leiden in the microevolution to 2009, and I was delighted when Professor Christine Maggs at macroevolution continuum Queen’s University Belfast agreed to host the meeting. This will be the Professor Ole Seehausen first time that the Biennial has been University of Bern, Switzerland and EAWAG Swiss Federal Institute for held in Northern Ireland. There will Aquatic Science and Technology be plenty of opportunity for people to present their work, and an Wednesday 8 December 2010, 6pm exciting programme of symposia is The Linnean Society, Burlington House, Piccadilly, London coming together, including Next (Open to all interested, followed by wine reception) Generation Systematics - or how to study evolution and diversity in an Cichlid fish in African Great lakes have made spectacular radiations into era of ubiquitous genomics, hundreds of endemic species in very short time. Because they not only Arthropod Systematics, which will speciated rapidly, but built complex ecological communities with incredible explore higher-level arthropod alpha diversity in short time too, cichlid fish are fantastic systems to study phylogenetics from the perspectives various questions regarding the continuum from microevolution to of morphology, palaeontology and macroevolution and from population ecology to macroecology. I will give a molecules, and Algal Systematics few examples from our work, starting where we try to reveal mechanisms which will explore where to go next during initiation and completion of speciation, through work about species for this subject. persistence and coexistence, and ending with attempts to explain I am keen during my Presidency that the focus is primarily on the macropatterns in the distribution of cichlid diversity. The Systematist 2010 No. 32 3 Can systematists help decide the relative worth of bits of biodiversity? David W. Redding1 & Arne O. Mooers2 1University of Manchester, UK, email: [email protected] 2Simon Fraser University, Canada, email: [email protected] Introduction In an idiosyncratic but provocative together all the taxa in a set. essay, Brian Bowen and Joe Ramon We cannot predict the future 2010 is the United Nations’ suggested the “Orlog model” for course of evolution, and, therefore, “International Year of Biodiversity characterizing biodiversity (Bowen betting on evolutionary winners and (www.cbd.int/2010/welcome/). & Ramon, 2005). In this Norse losers is likely to be nonsensical Ostensibly, the year has been set Mythological story, Urd, Verdandi, over relevant timescales (Bowen & aside for ‘celebration’, though this and Skuld are three sisters who tend Ramon, 2005; Barraclough & term is just the sugar-coating for the the tree of life, and their names Davies, 2005). Instead, using Faith's call to ‘safeguard the variety of life evoke the past, present and future. phylogenetic diversity measure we on earth-’ i.e. to do something. The Bowen and Ramon suggested can choose to conserve sets of United Nations knows that their biodiversity could be viewed from a species that maximise phylogenetic member nations are in trouble, and a similar temporal set of perspectives. diversity, thereby maximising the good deal of that trouble is due to In this framework, phylogeny is the past routes of evolution, and so the sad state of their biodiversity.