People
Brummitt, Neil A.
| Job Title | Plant Diversity Analyst |
|---|---|
| Department | Directorate |
| Section | |
| Science Teams |
Myrtaceae Large-Scale Syntheses |
| Joined Kew | |
| Foreign Language(s) | French (basic) |
Qualifications & Appointments
BA (Hons), Biological Sciences, Univ. Oxford
MSc, Biodiversity and Taxonomy of Plants, Univ. Edinburgh
PhD, Univ. Edinburgh.
Co-convener, Geography Comm., Taxonomic Databases Working Group (TDWG)
Steering Comm., Rio Tinto Biodiversity Performance Measures
Committee, IUCN Red List Index (RBG Kew)
GIS Committee (RBG Kew)
Herbarium Computer Group (RBG Kew).
Role
The application of biological collections data to studies of global patterns of plant diversity and its conservation.
Documenting and describing broad-scale global patterns of flowering plant diversity and biogeography, as follow on from recording global distributions for all vascular plant genera. Analysis of these data as the basis of recently awarded PhD, jointly supervised by RBG Kew and the University of Edinburgh. This showed that the majority of angiosperm genera display only a small number of distribution patterns, but that areas of the world richest in numbers of genera were also richest in number of floristic elements for those genera. The maintenance of the database supporting this work is ongoing. A particular interest is the application of existing Kew data to answering questions of biogeography, biodiversity and conservation. This is at several different levels: with specimens, for publication of names, for species, and genera and higher taxa. For example, which are the richest parts of the world for plants? Is this true at different taxonomic levels? Is this also where the greatest numbers of new taxa are being described from? Can we estimate how many species there are in total, known and unknown, as well as just known species. Involvement in projects focusing on finer-scale patterns of distribution and diversity and working with both systematic groups (Myrtaceae) and Herbarium Regional Teams (e.g. SE Asia), study being based on herbarium specimen data. Co-ordination of the Sampled Red List Index for plants, an international project which will produce a first representative global picture of the state of plant conservation, taking a random sample of approximately 1200 species for each of bryophytes, ferns and allies, gymnosperms, monocots and dicots and producing IUCN conservation assessments for each species. By repeating these conservation assessments at periodic intervals the project aims to track trends in the status of plant diversity. This will involve collaboration between several major botanical institutions and is part of the larger Sampled Red List Index being co-ordinated by the Zoological Society of London and IUCN.
Projects
Biogeography and Conservation of Myrciinae (Myrtaceae)
Documenting and Analysing Patterns in the Diversity and Distribution of Flowering Plant Genera
The Sampled Red List Index for Plants
Selected Publications 2001-2005
Brummitt, N.A. & Nic Lughadha, E. (2003). Biodiversity – where’s hot and where’s not. Conservation Biology 17(5): 1442-1448.
Bachmann, S., Baker, W.J., Brummitt, N.A., Dransfield, J. & Moat, J. (2004). Elevational gradients, area and tropical island diversity: an example from the palms of New Guinea. Ecography 27(3): 299-310.
Brummitt, N.A. (2005). Patterns in the global distribution of flowering plant genera. In Friis, I. & Balslev, H. (eds) Plant Diversity and Complexity Patterns: local, regional and global dimensions. Biologiske Skrifter 55: 539-564.
Nic Lughadha, E., Baillie, J., Barthlott, W., Brummitt, N.A., Cheek, M.R., Farjon, A., Govaerts, R., Hardwick, K.A., Hilton-Taylor, C., Meagher, T.R., Moat, J., Mutke, J., Paton, A.J., Pleasants, L.J., Savolainen, V., Schatz, G.E., Smith, P., Turner, I., Wyse-Jackson, P. & Crane, P.R. (2005). Measuring the fate of plant diversity: towards a foundation for future monitoring and opportunities for urgent action. Phil. Trans. Royal Soc. London, B, Biological Sciences 360: 359-372.
Roberts, D.L. & N.A. Brummitt (in press). The influence of geometric constraints on the colonisation, speciation and range expansion of orchids. Proceedings of the XVIIth AETFAT Congress, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.