Gasson, Peter E.
Job TitlePlant Anatomy Researcher
DepartmentJodrell Laboratory
SectionMicromorphology
Science Teams:
Joined Kew: 1979
Qualifications & Appointments
BSc (Hons), Agricultural Botany, Univ. Reading, 1979.
PhD, Botany (Timber Technology), Imperial College, 1985.
DIC, Imperial College, 1985.
Council, International Association of Wood Anatomists, IAWA (1994-99).
Hardwood Committee, IAWA (1988-89).
Softwood Committee, IAWA (1998-2004).
Instructor at PROTA (Plant Resources of Tropical Africa) wood anatomy workshops (2007, 2010).
Role
Systematic and comparative plant anatomy, especially of wood (secondary xylem).
Research focused on plant anatomy, especially hardwoods (Dicotyledons, particularly Leguminosae, Malpighiales, Myrtaceae and CITES listed species) and softwoods (gymnosperms), in the context of systematics and conservation and often in collaboration with curators and researchers worldwide. Identification of fragmentary plant material for user groups such as archaeologists, palaeontologists, antique dealers, customs and police. Collaboration on an interactive wood identification database with colleagues at North Carolina State University. Some aspects of studies are applied to specific problems of conservation, including sustainable utilization of fuelwoods in arid regions and urban development, such as the influence of urban trees on nearby buildings.
Projects
- Anatomical Identification of Plant Material
- Anatomy of the Dicotyledons
- Authentication and Chemical Fingerprinting of Economically Important Species
- CITES Capacity Building
- CITES-Listed Timbers
- The Dalbergioid Legumes (Leguminosae: Papilionoideae)
- Northeast Brazil Fuelwood
- New Phylogeny of the Caesalpinioideae, Leguminosae
- Systematic Phytochemistry of Legumes
- Systematics and Conservation of the Tropical African Genus Hymenostegia (Detarieae: Caesalpinioideae: Leguminosae)
- Wood Anatomy of Leguminosae
- Wood anatomy of Malpighiales
- Wood Anatomy of Myrtaceae
- Xylem Function and Evolution
Selected Recent Publications
Gasson, P. (2011). How precise can wood identification be? Wood anatomy’s role in support of the legal timber trade, especially CITES. IAWA Journal 32(2): 137-154.
Gasson, P., Baas, P. & Wheeler, E. (2011). Wood anatomy of CITES-listed tree species. IAWA Journal 32(2): 155-197.
Gasson, P., Miller, R., Stekel, D., Whinder, F. & Zieminska, K. (2010). Wood identification of Dalbergia nigra (CITES Appendix I) using quantitative wood anatomy, Principal Components Analysis and Naïve Bayes Classification. Annals of Botany 105: 45-56.
Sampaio, E., Gasson, P., Baracat, A., Cutler, D., Pareyn, F. & Lima, K.C. (2010). Tree biomass estimation in regenerating areas of tropical dry vegetation in northeast Brazil. Forest Ecology & Management 259: 1135-1140.
Dias Leme, C.L., Cartwright, C. & Gasson, P. (2010). Anatomical changes to the wood of Mimosa ophthalmocentra and Mimosa tenuiflora when charred at different temperatures. IAWA Journal 31: 335-351.
Oakley, D, Falcon-Lang, H.J. & Gasson, P. (2009). Morphometric analysis of some Cretaceous angiosperm woods and their extant structural and phylogenetic analogues: implications for systematics. Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology 157: 375-390.
White, L. & Gasson, P. (2008). Mahogany. Kew Publishing. 100 pages.
Selected Earlier Publications
Evans, J.A., Gasson, P. & Lewis, G.P. (2006). The wood anatomy of the Mimosoideae (Leguminosae). IAWA Journal supplement 5. 117 pages.
Figueirôa J.M., Pareyn F.G.C., Lima Araújo E., Silva C.E., Santos V.F., Cutler D.F., Baracat A. & Gasson P. (2006). Effects of cutting regimes in the dry and wet season on survival and sprouting of woody species from the semi-arid caatinga of northeast Brazil. Forest Ecology & Management 229: 294-303.
Jansen, S., Baas, P., Gasson, P., Lens, F. & Smets, E. (2004). Variation in xylem structure from tropics to tundra: evidence from vestured pits. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences: Biological Sciences, Plant Biology 101: 8833-8837.
Richter, H.G., Grosser, D., Heinz, I. & Gasson, P.E. (eds) (2004). IAWA list of microscopic features for softwood identification. IAWA Journal 25: 1-70.
Wheeler, E.A., Baas, P. & Gasson, P.E. (eds) (1989). IAWA List of Microscopic Features for Hardwood Identification. IAWA Bulletin ns 10: 219-332.
