Kirkup, Donald W. [Don]
Job Title
Senior Botanist
Department
Herbarium Library Art and Archives
Section
Biodiversity, Information and Conventions
Science Teams:
Joined Kew:
1990Qualifications & Appointments
BSc (Joint Hons), Botany and Geography, Univ. Hull, 1980
MSc, Pure and Applied Plant Taxonomy, Univ. Reading, 1983
PhD, Univ. Reading, 1993. "The Structual Basis of Pollination in African Loranthaceae"
Editorial Board, Flora Malesiana
Role
Team leader: Numerical taxonomy and morphometrics specialist; Functional morphological plant traits; e-taxonomy.
To deliver RBG Kew’s mission by enhancing the scientific reputation and maximising the impact of Kew's biodiversity information as applied to production of novel identification tools such as web-based floras and mobile applications (Breathing Planet Programme 1) and the research and integration of information such as the identification and successful use of locally-appropriate plant species under changing climatic regimes (Breathing Planet Programme 4). To act as a point of expertise and leadership within Kew for numerical taxonomy, morphometric methods, and identification tools and to collaborate on innovative and high impact research outputs.
The key areas of work are: to act as the focal point at Kew for all activities related to digital botanical texts; to lead initiation, fundraising, development and the implementation of projects either alone or in collaboration with EU partners; and lead at Kew the development of information standards relating to efloras, including the development of morphological plant traits databases; to investigate requirements for users of Kew's information beyond the taxonomic community and to safeguard intellectual property rights (IPR) by driving development of protocols within the context of collaborative projects.
Projects
- UK Darwin Initiative Papuan Plant Diversity - COMPLETED 2006
- e-Floras
- Genomics and gene flow barriers in hybrid Populus - COMPLETED 2010
- Interactive Key to the Genera of Lamiaceae
- Interactive Key to the Malesian Seed Plants
- Morphometrics of Lilioid & Alismatid monocots
- World classification and phylogeny of Salix & Populus
Selected Recent Publications
Kattge et al (2011) "TRY - A Global Plant Traits Database" Global Change Biology, Vol. 17, Issue 9.
Soares, M.L.C. , Mayo, S.J. , Gribel, R., Kirkup, D. (ined.) Elliptic Fourier Analysis of leaf outlines in five species of Heteropsis (Araceae) from the Reserva Florestal Adolpho Ducke, Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil.
Andrade, I.M., Mayo, S.J., Kirkup, D. & Van den Berg, C. (in press). Elliptic Fourier Analysis of leaf outline shape in forest fragment populations of Anthurium sinuatum and A. pentaphyllum (Araceae) from Northeast Brazil. Kew Bulletin.
Lexer, C., Joseph, J., van Loo, M., Prenner, G., Heinze, B., Chase, M.W. & Kirkup, D. 2009. The use of digital image-based morphometrics to study the phenotypic mosaic in taxa with porous genomes. Taxon 58: 349 – 364.
Andrade, I.M., Mayo, S.J. Van den Berg, C.,Fay, M.F., Chester, M., Lexer, C. and Kirkup, D. 2009. Genetic variation in natural populations of Anthurium sinuatum and A. pentaphyllum var. pentaphyllum (Araceae) from north-east Brazil using AFLP molecular markers. Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2009, 159, 88–105.
Andrade, I.M., Mayo, S.J., Kirkup, D. & Van den Berg, C. (2008). Comparative morphology of populations of Monstera (Araceae) from natural forest fragments in Northeast Brazil using elliptic Fourier Analysis of leaf outlines. Kew Bulletin 63: 193 – 211.
Selected Earlier Publications
Andrade, I.M., Mayo, S.J., Van den Berg, C., Fay, M.F., Chester, M., Lexer, C., Kirkup, D. 2007. A preliminary study of genetic variation in populations of Monstera adansonii var.klotzschiana (Araceae) from north-east Brazil, estimated with AFLP molecular markers. Annals of Botany 100: 1143–1154.
Kirkup, D., Malcolm, P., Christian, G. & Paton, A. (2004 onwards). eFloras - Flora Zambesiaca online. [http://www.kew.org/efloras]
Kirkup, D. in The Malesian Key Group (2004). An Interactive Key to Malesian Seed Plants v. 1.0. The Nationaal Herbarium Nederland Leiden and The Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. CD ROM and web [http://www.kew.org/herbarium/keys/fm]
Kirkup, D., Malcolm, P., Christian, G. & Paton, A. (2005). Towards a digital African Flora. Taxon 54: 457-466
Kirkup, D.W., Polhill, R.M. & Wiens, D. (2000). Viscum in the context of its family, Viscaceae, and its diversity in Africa. In Bussing, A. (ed) Mistletoe - the genus Viscum. Medicinal and Aromatic Plants - Industrial Profiles. Harwood Academic Publishers. 7-29.
