Subsector: Systematic Biology Evolutionary Biology

1. Subsector: Systematic Biology Evolutionary Biology R. Geeta (Geeta Bharathan) SUNY at Stony Brook, NY, USA

2. Tacca D. matudae D caucasica 92 100 D villosa Rhizomatous D tenuipes Tuberized Tcommunis D batatas 79 D japonica 88 66 D hastifolia D macroura D bemarivensis 100 D trifida 69 D bulbifera D dumetorum D arachnida 54 D quartiniana *95 D dodecaneura D galeottiana 92 D mexicana Old World New World GOALS: To understand the patterns of biological variation [biological diversity] To understand the processes that generate this variation [biological diversification] phylogenetic relationships classification phylogeography trait evolution molecular and genome evolution adaptation natural selection genetic drift sexual selection Bharathan et al. 2001

3. 10% of University Taxonomists also have appointments at Museums or Herbaria/Botanical Gardens A large fraction of systematists work at Universities • 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”

4. Phytochemicals Organisms Genes ipr Seeds Systematic and Evolutionary Biologists study Biodiversity Biodiversity “Bioresources” Need access to • Field collected biological material • Living (including seeds, eggs) • Non-living (including leaves, DNA, PCR products, other extracts) • Laboratory stocks, natural populations • Biological/ecological information • Floristic and faunal assemblages • Climate and weather • Soil chemistry Activities • Observations • Field • Laboratory, greenhouse • Experiments • Field • Laboratory, greenhouse • Analysis • Statistical • Computational Biological Methods Phylogenetic, Genetic, Molecular genetic, Plant Breeding

5. Work-products Publications Peer-reviewed Books (include texts, manuals) Popular Collections 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/about-ipc/cyberinfrastructure

6. 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’ Increased ability to address global questions Increased possibility of long-term access/collaborations LOCAL- ‘Provider’ Systematic knowledge of flora and fauna Collections (physical entity) Development of expertise What are the benefits of the science?