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)
Genera Palmarum: the Evolution and Classification of Palms Edition 2 - PROJECT COMPLETED
Molecular Phylogenetics of Palms
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.
