Transcript Systematic and evolutionary biology

Subsector: Systematic Biology
Evolutionary Biology
R. Geeta
(Geeta Bharathan)
SUNY at Stony Brook, NY, USA
GOALS: To understand the patterns of biological variation [biological diversity]
To understand the processes that generate this variation [biological diversification]
Old World
New World
92
100
79
88
66
100
69
54
*95
92
Bharathan et al. 2001
Tacca
D. matudae
D caucasica
D villosa
Rhizomatous
D tenuipes
Tcommunis Tuberized
D batatas
D japonica
D hastifolia
D macroura
D bemarivensis
D trifida
D bulbifera
D dumetorum
D arachnida
D quartiniana
D dodecaneura
D galeottiana
D mexicana
phylogenetic
relationships
classification
phylogeography
trait evolution
molecular and
genome evolution
adaptation
natural selection
genetic drift
sexual selection
% University Taxonomists (WTD)
A large fraction of systematists work at Universities
70
60
Brazil
50
India
40
USA
30
South Africa
20
10
Australia
UK
Russia
0
•World Taxonomist Database (http://www.eti.uva.nl/Database/WTD.html)
•Society of Systematic Biologists (SSB) members
•American Society of Plant Taxonomists (ASPT) members
*GEETA, R., ANDRÉ LEVY, J. MATT HOCH, MELISSA MARK.
Department of Ecology and Evolution, State University of New York at Stony Brook, NY,
USA
Part of poster presented at the 54rh Annual Meeting American Institute of Biological
Sciencese 21-23 March 2003, Washington, DC.”Bioethics in a Changing World”
10% of University Taxonomists also have appointments at
Museums or Herbaria/Botanical Gardens
Systematic and Evolutionary Biologists study Biodiversity
Biodiversity
Phytochemicals
Organisms
Need access to
• Field collected biological
material
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Living (including seeds, eggs)
Non-living (including leaves,
DNA, PCR products, other
extracts)
Laboratory stocks, natural
populations
Biological/ecological
information
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Floristic and faunal
assemblages
Climate and weather
Soil chemistry
“Bioresources”
Genes
ipr
Seeds
Activities
• Observations
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Field
Laboratory, greenhouse
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Field
Laboratory, greenhouse
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Statistical
Computational
Experiments
Analysis
Biological Methods
Phylogenetic,
Genetic,
Molecular genetic,
Plant Breeding
Work-products
• Publications
– Peer-reviewed
– Books (include texts, manuals)
– Popular
• Collections
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Specimens (herbarium/museum)
Frozen tissue
DNA extracts
PCR products
Clones
• Databases [GBIF]
– DNA sequences
– Genome sequences
– Gene expression data
• Patents [processes]
• Not dependent on species studied
– Bioinformatic tools
Who owns these
‘products’?
–Variable, changing!!
–iPlant model for information
‘ownership’?
http://iplantcollaborative.org/aboutipc/cyberinfrastructure
What are the benefits of the science?
GLOBAL: understanding entities and their evolution
What is it? What is its origin? What is it related to?
Knowledge base of biology
How did it come to be? Why is it the way it is? Where might it go?
Use the past to understand the present and to plan for the future
• Pesticide resistance: herbivorous insects with larger populations will develop
resistance faster than will their insect predators. With nothing keeping them
in check, they WILL make a come-back
• Disease origins, epidemiology
LOCAL-’User’
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Increased ability to address global questions
Increased possibility of long-term access/collaborations
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Systematic knowledge of flora and fauna
Collections (physical entity)
Development of expertise
LOCAL- ‘Provider’