People
Simpson, David
| Job Title | Assistant Keeper, Monocots |
|---|---|
| Department | Herbarium |
| Section | Monocot Systematics |
| Science Teams |
Wet Tropics: SE Asia United Kingdom Monocots I: General Alismatids & Lilioids Monocots II: Commelinids Drylands: Africa |
| Joined Kew | 1985 |
| Foreign Language(s) | French (basic), Thai (basic). |
Qualifications & Appointments
BSc (Hons), Univ. Wales (Bangor), 1977
MSc, Univ. Reading, 1978
PhD, Univ. Lancaster, 1983.
Council, Linnean Society of London (2002-2005)
Publications Committee, Botanical Society of the British Isles (1998-2005)
Editorial Board, Watsonia (1998-2005), Flora of Thailand, Thai Forest Bulletin
Editor-in-chief, Kew Bulletin
Visiting Lecturer, University of Reading
Visiting Professor, Khon Kaen University, Thailand
Hon. Research Associate, University of Dublin (Trinity College).
Role
Management of Monocot Systematics in the Herbarium; Systematics of Poales
Research focusing on the systematics of Cyperaceae, Poaceae and related families worldwide. This includes: higher level collaborative studies focused on developing a comprehensive morphological/molecular phylogeny of Cyperaceae and Juncaceae; monographic studies in Cyperaceae tribes Cariceae, Cypereae, Hypolytreae, Scirpeae, Sclerieae and Juncaceae; floristics of Old World Cyperaceae, especially in eastern/southern Africa, Thailand/Indo-China, Malesia and the British Isles; floristics of Thai Poaceae; biogeography and conservation of Cyperaceae in SE Asia, especially Thailand/Indo-China. Sustainable utilization of Cyperaceae worldwide. Also interested in the systematics of aquatic monocots, especially Hydrocharitaceae. Broad commitment to data dissemination through editorial work (especially as Chair of the Kew Bulletin Editorial Board), herbarium specimen digitization (e.g. Monocot Types) and web-based Checklists (e.g. Monococot Checklist, World Grass Species Databases (GrassBase)).
Projects
Co-Evolution at the Plant-Animal Interface
Digitising the Specimens and Archive of A.F.G. Kerr, Pioneering Botanist in Thailand
Electronic Cataloguing and Imaging of Monocot Type Specimens
electronic Plant Information Centre (ePIC)
European Distributed Institute of Taxonomy (EDIT)
Generic Delimitation in Cyperaceae Tribe Cypereae
Grass Evolution, Anti-Herbivory and Past Climate
Grasses and Sedges of Britain and Ireland
Morphological Innovations in Poales
Synthesis of Systematic Resources
Systematics and Phylogenetics of Cyperaceae Subfamily Mapanioideae
Thai Cyperaceae: Distribution and Conservation
World Grass Species Databases (GrassBase)
Selected Publications 2001-2005
Simpson, D.A. & Inglis, C.A. (2001). Cyperaceae of economic, ethnobotanical and horticultural importance: a checklist. Kew Bulletin 56: 257-360.
Muasya, A.M. & Simpson, D.A. (2002). A revision of the genus Isolepis (Cyperaceae). Kew Bulletin 57: 257-362.
Simpson, D.A., Furness, C.A., Hodkinson, T. & Chase, M.W. (2003). Phylogenetic relationships in Cyperaceae subfamily Mapanioideae inferred from pollen and plastid DNA sequence data. American Journal of Botany 90: 1071-1087.
Starr, J.R., Harris, S.A. & Simpson, D.A. (2004). Phylogeny of the unispicate taxa in Cyperaceae Tribe Cariceae I: generic relationships and evolutionary scenarios. Systematic Botany 29(3): 528-544.
Simpson, D.A., Muasya, A.M., Chayamarit, K., Parnell, J.A.N., Suddee, S, De Wilde, B., Jones, M.B., Bruhl, J.J. & Pooma, R. (2005). Khaosokia caricoides, a new genus and species of Cyperaceae from Thailand. Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society 149: 357–364.
Selected Publications pre-2001
Simpson, D.A. (1992). A revision of the genus Mapania. Kew: Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 189 pp.
Simpson, D.A. (1995). Relationships within Cyperales. In Rudall, P., Cribb, P.J., Cutler, D.F. & Humphries, C.J. (eds) Monocotyledons: systematics and evolution 2. 497–509.
Muasya, A.M., Simpson, D.A., Culham, A. & Chase, M.W. (1998). An assessment of suprageneric phylogeny in Cyperaceae using rbcL sequence data. Plant Systematics and Evolution 211: 257–271.
Simpson, D.A. & Koyama, T. (1998). Cyperaceae. Flora of Thailand 6. 247–485.
Muasya, A., Bruhl, J.J., Simpson, D.A., Culham, A. & Chase, M.W. (2000). Suprageneric phylogeny of Cyperaceae. In Wilson, K.L. & Morrison, D. (eds) Monocots: Systematics and Evolution. 593–601.