Baker, William J. [Bill]
Job TitleHead of Palm Research
DepartmentHerbarium, Library, Art & Archives
SectionSystematics
Science Teams:
- Large-Scale Syntheses
- Madagascar
- Monocots I: General Alismatids & Lilioids
- Monocots II: Commelinids
- Wet Tropics: SE Asia
Joined Kew: 1998
Foreign Language(s): French, Indonesian
Qualifications & Appointments
BA (Hons), Univ. Oxford, 1993
MSc, Univ. Reading, 1994
PhD, Univ. Reading, 1997
Chair, IUCN-SSC Palm Specialist Group
Council Member, Systematics Association
Rock Garden Plant Comm., Royal Horticultural Society
Trustee, The Merlin Trust
Role
Evolution, systematics and biogeography of palms
Research focusing on evolution and diversity in the palm family, addressing phylogenetic relationships and classification of palms at all taxonomic levels using a range of data sources. Interpreting evolutionary process within a phylogenetic context, for example, the evolution of floral morphology and reproductive biology. Investigating the origins of diversity at the species level through interdisciplinary studies, for example, testing hypotheses of sympatric speciation on oceanic islands. Exploring the nature and origins of global patterns of palm diversity. Floristic interests in the Old World, especially SE Asia. Working towards a monograph of palms in New Guinea, a collaborative project integrating taxonomic research and capacity building. Developing new approaches to the delivery of taxonomic data via the web and leading the palm biodiversity information portal, Palmweb.
Projects
- UK Darwin Initiative Papuan Plant Diversity - COMPLETED 2006
- Diversity and Conservation of Madagascar Palms
- European Distributed Institute of Taxonomy (EDIT)
(project completed 2011) - eMonocot
- Genera Palmarum: the Evolution and Classification of Palms Edition 2 - COMPLETED 2008
- Global Patterns and Processes of Plant Diversity
- iPlants (project completed 2006)
- Systematics and Evolution of Palms
- Monocot Checklist-Project Completed
- Monocot Floral Evolution
- Electronic cataloguing and imaging of monocot type specimens
- Palms of New Guinea
- Palmweb - Palms of the world On-line
- Sympatric speciation on oceanic islands
- Tropical Plant Families: An Identification Handbook
Selected Recent Publications
Couvreur, T.L.P, Forest, F., Baker. W.J.(2011). Origin and global diversification patterns of tropical rain forests: inferences from a complete genus-level phylogeny of palms. BMC Biology 9: 44.
Baker, W. J., Norup, M.V., Clarkson, J.J., Couvreur, T.L.P., Dowe, J.L., Lewis, C.E., Pintaud, J.C., Savolainen, V. Wilmot, T. & Chase, M.W. (2011). Phylogenetic relationships among arecoid palms (Arecaceae: Arecoideae). Annals of Botany doi:10.1093/aob/mcr020.
Baker, W.J., Savolainen, V., Asmussen-Lange, C.B., Chase, M.W., Dransfield, J., Forest, F., Harley, M.M., Uhl, N.W. and Wilkinson, M. (2009). Complete Generic-Level Phylogenetic Analyses of Palms (Arecaceae) with Comparisons of Supertree and Supermatrix Approaches. Systematic Biology 58: 240-256.
Dransfield, J., Uhl, N.W., Asmussen-Lange, C.B., Baker, W.J., Harley, M.M. & Lewis, C.E. (2008). Genera Palmarum - Evolution and Classification of the Palms. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
Savolainen, V., Anstett, M.-C., Lexer, C., Hutton, I., Clarkson, J.J., Norup, M.V., Powell, M.P., Springate, D., Salamin, N. & Baker, W.J. (2006). Sympatric Speciation in Palms on an Oceanic Island. Nature 441: 210–213.
Selected Earlier Publications
Asmussen, C.B., Dransfield, J., Deickmann, V., Barfod, A.S., Pintaud, J.-C. & Baker, W.J. (2006). A New Subfamily Classification of the Palm Family (Arecaceae): Evidence from Plastid DNA. Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society 151: 15–38.
Norup, M.V., Dransfield, J., Chase, M.W., Barfod, A.S., Fernando, E.S. & Baker, W.J. (2006). Homoplasious character combinations and generic delimitation: a case study from the Indo-Pacific arecoid palms (Arecaceae). American Journal of Botany 93: 1065-1080.
Bachman, S., Baker, W.J., Brummitt, N., Dransfield, J. & Moat, J. (2004). Elevational gradients, area and tropical island diversity: an example from the palms of New Guinea. Ecography 27: 299–310.
Baker, W.J., Hedderson, T.A. & Dransfield, J. (2000). Molecular phylogenetics of subfamily Calamoideae (Palmae) based on nrDNA ITS and cpDNA rps16 intron sequence data. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 14: 195-217.
Baker, W.J., Hedderson, T.A. & Dransfield, J. (2000). Molecular phylogenetics of Calamus (Palmae) and related rattan genera based on 5S nrDNA spacer sequence data. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 14: 218-231.
