The Systematist Newsletter of the Systematics Association Number 31 2010 www.systass.org ISSN 1744-5701 In Memoriam •Christopher Humphries 1947-2009 2009 Biennial Reports •Asking the right questions •Flowers on the tree of life •Evolution of plant-pollinator relationships •The importance of being small Book reviews •Major transitions in vertebrate evolution •The science of describing •All creatures •Biodiversity databases •Darwin: a reader’s guide Other Reports •Late Triassic Terrestrial Biotas and the Rise of Dinosaurs •Xth Symposium of the International Organization of Plant Biosystematists •SRF Report Inspirations •Olaf Bininda-Emonds The Systematics Association is committed to Editorial furthering all aspects of Systematic biology. It organises a vigorous been a change of publisher for the programme of international Back from a long absence Systematics Association Special conferences on key themes in Volumes. All our recent volumes Systematics, including a Dear Members , have been published by CRC Press. series of major biennial (visit www.crcpress.com for conferences launched in It will not have escaped your notice ordering information). Our 1997. The association also that our newsletter, The Systematist, upcoming volumes, however, will supports a variety of training has been conspicuously absent from be published by Cambridge Univer- courses in systematics and our mailings to you for over a year. sity Press (www.cambridge.org). awards grants in support of This unfortunate situation was the Some of the titles that you can look systematics research. result of a host of unforeseen forward to in the near future are: circumstances, and we sincerely Membership is open to apologize for the inconvenience. • Palaeogeography and amateurs and professionals The Council of the Systematics palaeobiogeography: biodiversity in with interests in any branch Association is grateful for your space and time of biology, including patience and your continuing • Climate change, ecology and microbiology and support. We know that receiving systematics palaeontology. Members are The Systematist is a valued bonus of • Descriptive taxonomy: the generally entitled to attend being a member of the Systematics foundation of biodiversity research the conferences at a reduced Association. We are therefore happy • Evolution of plant pollinator registration rate, to apply for to now resume the publication of interactions grants from the Association The Systematist with this new issue. • The importance of being small: and to receive the This issue of our newsletter is the does size matter in biogeography? Associations newsletter, The first one to be published under the • Flowers on the tree of life Systematist and mailings of rule of our new President, Juliet • The past, present and future of information. Brodie, research phycologist Southeast Asian biodiversity For information on As with our published CRC volum- membership, contact the es, members of the association can Membership Secretary, Dr Jon get a 25% discount on the volumes Bennett published by CUP. We will inform ([email protected]), you on how to claim your discount St Pauls School, Lonsdale when the first CUP volume will be Road, London SW13 9JT, U.K. published. Please visit our website if you have an idea for a conference Juliet Brodie The Systematist (ISSN 1744- and/or a book, and would like to 5701) is the Newsletter of the at the Natural History Museum in apply for support from the SA. Systematics Association. London. As we welcome Juliet in her new role, we say goodbye to our Editor past President Richard Bateman. Details of the SA research grants, Dr Ronald Jenner Richard has been actively involved Department of Zoology in the Association for many years, conference bursaries The Natural History Museum and as President for the past and funding for the Cromwell Road threeyears. We want to thank organisation of London SW7 5BD, UK Richard for his strong leadership ([email protected]) and we wish him all the best in his meetings can be found future endeavours. at: The Systematics Association Another recent development has www.systass.org is Registered Charity Number 270429. Cover illustrations: The late Chris Humpries (top photo; with permission from Dick Vane-Wright), and Olaf Bininda-Emonds, our Inspirations interviewee (bottom photo; copyright Olaf-Bininda-Emonds). The Systematist 2010 No. 31 2 In Memoriam Professor Christopher J. Humphries, 1947-2009 By Richard Bateman t is often the sad task of a President to report the death of a I past-President, but it is rare that the two incumbencies in question are separated by as little as three years. The fact that Chris Humphries had been ailing for some time, suffering from heart problems and having survived (barely) a liver transplant, in no way lessened the blow of his death on July 31st 2009, at the ridiculously young age of 62. The recent publication by Chris’s long- time colleagues at the Natural History Museum, David Williams and Charlie Jarvis, of an excellent factual obituary for Chris (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/o Chris Humphries (photography courtesy of Dick Vane-Wright) bituaries/science- books justly became classics. (1994–8) was followed by the obituaries/6039183/Chris- Supported by numerous well-cited Presidency of the Systematics Humphries.html) leaves me free to peer-reviewed papers and Association (2000–3) and the award pen a more personal valediction. conference talks across the globe, of the Linnean Gold Medal (2001), I first met Chris in the early these outputs undoubtedly had a together reflecting the mutually 1980s, when he was arguably at the profound impact throughout beneficial symbiosis that existed height of his very considerable systematic biology. between Chris and both powers. During the previous decade Plaudits for Chris’s pioneering organisations. He was also awarded he had played a key role in intellect came relatively rapidly a visiting Chair and Individual Merit catalysing the cladistics revolution, within the expanding cladistics status by BBSRC. Many of us felt alongside such luminaries as Colin field, leading to extensive citation that Fellowship of the Royal Society Patterson. Together with Kåre and the Presidency of the Willi would have been just reward for his Bremer and Vicki Funk, he had Hennig Society in 1989–91. earlier innovations, but this goal successfully promoted new-fangled However, bouquets arrived rather was probably made more difficult cladistic methods of phylogeny more slowly from the wider by Chris’s admirable combination of reconstruction within the botanical systematics/taxonomic community, certainty of purpose and disarming community. Having laid these which was not entirely certain that it honesty (anyone doubting either essential foundations, he then wished to entertain this growing quality should, for example, consult explored the full range of cadre of fractious young(ish) Chris’s critical analysis of the SA biologically relevant applications to whippersnappers with their logical Biennial conference over which he which parsimony could be applied, rigour, complex terminology and presided in South Kensington in rattling off in short order co- often aggressive proselytising. 2001: The Systematist 18 (January authored or edited volumes on Nevertheless, Chris was soon 2002), pp. 1–3). ontogeny, biogeography and warmly regarded in both the Chris was, in addition, a conservation prioritisation before Linnean Society and the committed bon viveur and genuine co-authoring a classic textbook on Systematics Association. His Vice- polymath. The depth and breadth of cladistic methods. All of these Presidency of the Linnean Society his general knowledge was The Systematist 2010 No. 31 3 breathtaking; it was a brave person Hemel Hempstead, one Saturday The Swedish society joined the who challenged Chris on topics as afternoon several months later, consortium in Leiden, and further disparate as the history of science where Chris had kindly agreed to systematics societies are planned for on the one hand versus modern art lecture the heterogeneous Italy and for Belgium and the or jazz on the other. I used to chide membership of the Hertfordshire Netherlands combined. Chris that the one topic for which he Natural History Society on the Leiden is a great city: rarely found sufficient time was importance of recognising that the geographically central, with a first- botany itself, but in truth, he viewed lungfish and the cow are more rate travel infrastructure, a relaxed educating people as a higher calling. closely related to each other than atmosphere and lots of students (the He would boldly inform senior either is to the salmon. conference was held during (sometimes dangerously senior) Few authorities of Chris’s calibre fresher’s week, so we witnessed colleagues of the error of their ways would have wasted their valuable everything from canalside mud- if they had not yet subscribed to time on such a parochial gathering, wrestling to slightly inebriated hard-core cladistics. The roll-call of yet his enthusiasm and commitment bicycle collisions). The sessions junior colleagues who benefited shone through and thereby nudged were located in the buildings of the considerably from Chris’s boundless my professional life in a subtly Leiden University Medical Centre, advice and encouragement is long different, yet irrevocable, direction. in close proximity to both the and ultimately prestigious – like I am confident that Chris’s influence central railway station and the Miss Jean Brodie, Chris had the on both systematics and systematists excellent Naturalis museum. While ability and charisma to acquire was – and remains – profound. rushing from one session to another, many life-long protégés. Moreover, we rapidly grew accustomed to unlike Miss Jean Brodie, Chris was Richard Bateman was President of passing patients and ambulances en happy to interact with the wider the Systematics Association from route. It was quite an intensive populus; the tower in which he December 2006 to December 2009. week, with four days (Tuesday to resided in later years at the Natural Friday) of symposia and contributed History Museum was certainly not sessions; at one point I counted two built of ivory.