Clarkson, James J.
Job TitleJodrell Keeper's Research Assistant
DepartmentJodrell Laboratory
SectionKeeper's Group
Science Teams:
Joined Kew: 1998
Qualifications & Appointments
BSc (Hons), De Montfort University, 1998
PhD, Queen Mary University of London, 2006
Awarded Linnean Society’s Manton prize for best PhD thesis in plant sciences during 2006
Awarded Menzel prize for oral presentation at Botany 2010 conference (Providence, USA)
Role
Interested in evolution at the DNA sequence level. Specifically the consequences of polyploidy in Nicotiana and plant DNA barcoding.
Reconstructing the phylogenetic relationships of plant species based on DNA sequence data. Involved in many collaborative projects in Kew’s Molecular Systematics Laboratory. Special interest in understanding the genetic consequences of polyploidy in Nicotiana over different timeframes. Investigate processes such as reticulate evolution, allopolyploid speciation, homoploid hybrid speciation, recombination and diploidisation. Recently became involved in the large international collaborative effort to test and select suitable regions for the DNA barcoding of land plants. Also work closely with specialists in Kew’s Herbarium collaborating on projects for specific plant families (recently focused on Arecaceae and Meliaceae).
Projects
Selected Recent Publications
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). Ann. Bot. (in press) doi: 10.1093/aob/mcr020.
Clarkson, J.J., Kelly, L.J., Leitch, A.R., Knapp, S. & Chase, M.W. (2010). Nuclear glutamine synthetase evolution in Nicotiana: phylogenetics and the origins of allotetraploid and homoploid (diploid) hybrids. Mol. Phylogenet. Evol. 55: 99-112.
Kelly, L.J., Leitch, A.R., Clarkson, J.J., Hunter, R.B., Knapp, S. & Chase, M.W. (2010). Intergenic recombination events and evidence for hybrid speciation in Nicotiana (Solanaceae). Mol. Biol. Evol. 27: 781-799.
Devey, D.S., Chase, M.W. & Clarkson, J.J. (2009). A stuttering start to plant DNA barcoding: microsatellites present a previously overlooked problem in non-coding plastid regions. Taxon 58: 1-9.
Hollingsworth, P.M., Forrest, L.L., Spouge, J.L., Hajibabaei, M., Ratnasingham, S., Van Der Bank, M., Chase, M.W., Cowan, R.S., Erickson, D.L., Fazekas, A.J., Graham, S.W., James, K.E., Kim, K.-J., Kress, W.J., Schneider, H., Van Alphen Stahl, J., Barrett, S.C.H., Van Den Berg, C., Bogarin, D., Burgess, K.S., Cameron, K.M., Carine, M., Chacón, J., Clark, A.C., Conrad, F., Devey, D.S., Clarkson, J.J., Ford, C.S., Hedderson, T.A.J., Hollingsworth, M.L., Husband, B.C., Kelly, L.J., Kesanakurti, P.R., Kim, J.S., Kim, Y.D., Lahaye, R., Lee, H.-L., Long, D.G., Madriñán, S., Maurin, O., Meusnier, I., Newmaster, S.G., Park, C.-W., Percy, D.M., Petersen, G., Richardson, J.E., Salazar, G.A., Savolainen, V., Seberg, O., Wilkinson, M.J., Yi, D.-K. & Little, D.P. (2009). Botanists Recommend a DNA Barcode for Land Plants. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (USA) 106: 11889-11894.
Selected Earlier Publications
Savolainen, V., Anstett, M., 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 44: 210-213.
Clarkson, J.J., Lim, K.Y., Kovarik, A., Knapp, S., Chase, M. & Leitch, A. (2005). Long-term genome diploidization in allopolyploid Nicotiana section Repandae (Solanaceae). New Phytol. 168: 241-252.
Clarkson, J.J., Knapp, S., Garcia, V.F., Olmstead, R.G., Leitch, A.R. & Chase, M.W. (2004). Phylogenetic relationships in Nicotiana (Solanaceae) inferred from multiple plastid DNA regions. Mol. Phylogenet. Evol. 33: 75-90.
Chase, M.W., Knapp, S., Cox, A.V., Clarkson, J.J., Butsko, Y., Joseph, J., Savolainen, V. & Parokonny, A.S. (2003).Molecular systematics, GISH and the origin of hybrid taxa in Nicotiana (Solanaceae). Ann. Bot. 92: 107-127.
Clarkson, J.J., Chase, M.W. & Harley, M.M. (2002).Phylogenetic relationships in the Burseraceae based on plastid rps16 intron. Kew Bulletin 57: 183-193.
