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Abstract Detail


Where is plant systematics headed in the next ten years?

Stuessy, Tod [1], Funk, Vicki [2].

Where is plant systematics headed in the next ten years?

Every scientific discipline goes through incremental changes over the decades, and plant systematics is no exception. During the 1960s philosophical introspection took place, instigated by the development of phenetics, which provided quantitative approaches to classification and emphasized use of computers. In the 1970s and 1980s cladistics (phylogenetic systematics) helped put evolutionary content back into classification through explicit methods involving branching diagrams and further computer innovations. From 1990 onward, DNA data have opened doors to new insights on relationships at all levels of the taxonomic hierarchy. These data have eventually become a flood of information requiring new statistical approaches to deal with them effectively. In view of these former influences, it is legitimate and timely to ask where we are today and where we are likely to be headed in the next decade. What are the trends that can be seen on the horizon? Is something missing that is fundamental for continued progress? How can we better position our field for societal relevance? These questions form the basis for the proposed symposium.

Broader Impacts:


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1 - University Of Vienna, Systematic And Evolutionary Botany, Rennweg 14, Wien, N/A, A-1030, Austria, 43-1-427754140
2 - Smithsonian Institution, DEPT OF BOTANY-NHB 166, P.O. Box 37012, Washington, DC, 20013-7012, USA, 202/633-0950

Keywords:
plant systematics 
research priorities
future trends.

Presentation Type: Symposium or Colloquium Presentation
Session: SY07
Location: Franklin A/Hyatt
Date: Tuesday, July 10th, 2012
Time: 1:30 PM
Number: SY07SUM
Abstract ID:39


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