People

Baker, William J. [Bill]

Job Title Head of Palm Research
Department Herbarium
Section Monocot Systematics
Science Teams Large-Scale Syntheses
Monocots II: Commelinids
Monocots I: General Alismatids & Lilioids
Madagascar
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.

Projects

European Distributed Institute of Taxonomy (EDIT)

Frequency of Desiccation Tolerance in Targeted Taxa, including Palms: Ecological Associations and Predictions

Genera Palmarum: the Evolution and Classification of Palms Edition 2 - PROJECT COMPLETED

iPlants - PROJECT COMPLETED

Molecular Phylogenetics of Palms

Monocot Checklist

Monocot Floral Evolution

Monocot Pollen Evolution

Palms of New Guinea

Sympatric Speciation in Palms: Howea on Lord Howe Island

Systematics and Evolution of Pandanales

UK Darwin Initiative Papuan Plant Diversity. Project Completed.

Selected Recent Publications

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Selected Earlier Publications

Baker, W.J., Asmussen, C.B., Barrow, S.C., Dransfield, J. & Hedderson, T.A. (1999). A phylogenetic study of the palm family (Palmae) based on chloroplast DNA sequences from the trnL-trnF region. Pl. Syst. Evol. 219: 111-126.

Baker, W.J., Dransfield, J. & Hedderson, T.A. (2000). Phylogeny, character evolution, and a new classification of the calamoid palms. Syst. Bot. 25: 297-322.

Baker, W.J. & Dransfield, J. (2000). Towards a biogeographic explanation of the calamoid palms. In Wilson, K.L. & Morrison, D.A. (eds) Monocots: Systematics and Evolution. Melbourne: CSIRO. 545-553.

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.