Systematics, Evolution, and Biogeography of Compositae

Systematics, Evolution, and Biogeography of Compositae

Author: Vicki Ann Funk

Publisher:

Published: 2009

Total Pages: 1008

ISBN-13:

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"This spectacular book does full justice to the Compositae (Asteraceae), the largest and most successful flowering plant family with some 1700 genera and 24,000 species. It is an indispensable reference, providing the most up-to-date hypotheses of phylogenetic relationships in the family based on molecular and morphological characters, along with the corresponding subfamilial and tribal classification. The 2009 work not only integrates the extensive molecular phylogenetic analyses conducted in the last 25 years, but also uses these to produce a metatree for about 900 taxa of Compositae. The book contains 44 chapters, contributed by 80 authors, covering the history, economic importance, character variation, and systematic and phylogenetic diversity of the family. The emphasis of this work is phylogenetic; its chapters provide a detailed, current, and thoroughly documented presentation of the major (and not so major) clades in the family, citing some 2632 references. Like the Compositae, the book is massive, diverse, and fascinating. It is beautifully illustrated, with 170 figures, and an additional 108 cladograms (all consistently color-coded, based on the geographic range of the included taxa); within these figures are displayed 443 color photographs, clearly demonstrating the amazing array of floral and vegetative form expressed by members of the clade." --NHBS Environment Bookstore.


Research Advances in the Compositae

Research Advances in the Compositae

Author: T.J. Mabry

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2012-12-06

Total Pages: 126

ISBN-13: 3709169283

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T. J. MABRY and G. W AGENITZ The half-day symposium on "Multidisciplinary approaches to the systematics of Compositae", held as part of the XIV International Botanical Congress in Berlin, on July 26, 1987, was designed to complement the University of Reading Compositae Conference (1975). The latter had yielded two impressive and thorough volumes on "The biology and chemistry of the Compositae", which were edited by HEYWOOD, HARBORNE & TURNER (1977). The 1987 Berlin Symposium did not attempt to update the information from the earlier conference but instead focussed on selected new methods for investigating the systematics of the family as well as a few examples of new systematic approaches with classical methods. From mapping chloroplast DNA restriction sites JANSEN, PALMER, and MI CHAELS reported the astonishing fact that, with the exception of one group (the subtribe Barnadesiinae of the tribe Mutisieae), all investigated other members of Compositae exhibit a characteristic inversion in their chloroplast DNA, suggesting that the inversion occurred early in the evolution of the family and that at least its major part is monophyletic. Within those groups with the inverted segment, chloroplast DNA also suggests that most of the conventionally recognized tribes are also monophyletic. This lends high credit to our predecessors who laid the foundations for the taxonomic system of the Compositae. These chloroplast DNA studies have already been published and are not included here (JANSEN & PALMER 1987, 1988).


Biological Systematics

Biological Systematics

Author: Randall T. Schuh

Publisher: Cornell University Press

Published: 2011-04-15

Total Pages: 326

ISBN-13: 0801462436

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Biological Systematics: Principles and Applications draws equally from examples in botany and zoology to provide a modern account of cladistic principles and techniques. It is a core systematics textbook with a focus on parsimony-based approaches for students and biologists interested in systematics and comparative biology. Randall T. Schuh and Andrew V. Z. Brower cover: -the history and philosophy of systematics and nomenclature; -the mechanics and methods of analysis and evaluation of results; -the practical applications of results and wider relevance within biological classification, biogeography, adaptation and coevolution, biodiversity, and conservation; and -software applications. This new and thoroughly revised edition reflects the exponential growth in the use of DNA sequence data in systematics. New data techniques and a notable increase in the number of examples from molecular systematics will be of interest to students increasingly involved in molecular and genetic work.


Cladistics

Cladistics

Author: David M. Williams

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2020-08-06

Total Pages: 453

ISBN-13: 1107008107

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This new edition of a foundational text presents a contemporary review of cladistics, as applied to biological classification. It provides a comprehensive account of the past fifty years of discussion on the relationship between classification, phylogeny and evolution. It covers cladistics in the era of molecular data, detailing new advances and ideas that have emerged over the last twenty-five years. Written in an accessible style by internationally renowned authors in the field, readers are straightforwardly guided through fundamental principles and terminology. Simple worked examples and easy-to-understand diagrams also help readers navigate complex problems that have perplexed scientists for centuries. This practical guide is an essential addition for advanced undergraduates, postgraduates and researchers in taxonomy, systematics, comparative biology, evolutionary biology and molecular biology.


Plants of Oceanic Islands

Plants of Oceanic Islands

Author: Tod F. Stuessy

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2017-10-26

Total Pages: 519

ISBN-13: 1107180074

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This book provides a comprehensive view of the origin and evolution of the plants of an entire oceanic archipelago.


Species Concepts in Biology

Species Concepts in Biology

Author: Frank E. Zachos

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2016-10-05

Total Pages: 227

ISBN-13: 3319449664

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Frank E. Zachos offers a comprehensive review of one of today’s most important and contentious issues in biology: the species problem. After setting the stage with key background information on the topic, the book provides a brief history of species concepts from antiquity to the Modern Synthesis, followed by a discussion of the ontological status of species with a focus on the individuality thesis and potential means of reconciling it with other philosophical approaches. More than 30 different species concepts found in the literature are presented in an annotated list, and the most important ones, including the Biological, Genetic, Evolutionary and different versions of the Phylogenetic Species Concept, are discussed in more detail. Specific questions addressed include the problem of asexual and prokaryotic species, intraspecific categories like subspecies and Evolutionarily Significant Units, and a potential solution to the species problem based on a hierarchical approach that distinguishes between ontological and operational species concepts. A full chapter is dedicated to the challenge of delimiting species by means of a discrete taxonomy in a continuous world of inherently fuzzy boundaries. Further, the book outlines the practical ramifications for ecology and evolutionary biology of how we define the species category, highlighting the danger of an apples and oranges problem if what we subsume under the same name (“species”) is in actuality a variety of different entities. A succinct summary chapter, glossary and annotated list of references round out the coverage, making the book essential reading for all biologists looking for an accessible introduction to the historical, philosophical and practical dimensions of the species problem.


Beyond Cladistics

Beyond Cladistics

Author: David Mervyn Williams

Publisher: Univ of California Press

Published: 2010

Total Pages: 352

ISBN-13: 0520267729

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"This multifarious volume does a splendid job of reflecting the breadth and depth of fundamental questions about the methods of systematics and biogeography, from the practical applications of conservation biology to issues of wide interest to evolutionary biologists."--Dr. Norman I. Platnick, American Museum of Natural History "A fun and informative volume that everyone interested in the subject will enjoy. This book is full of important discussions on Botany, Cladistics, and Biogeography."--Vicki Funk, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution "The Branching Of A Paradigm is the intriguing theme of this volume on the myriad of ways cladistics has impacted modern biology. Surprises from floristics to recent thoughts on epistemology await the reader."--Dennis Stevenson, New York Botanical Garden