UFBI Seminar Series Hosts Dr. Sandra Knapp
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UFBI Seminar Series Hosts Dr. Sandra Knapp
April 8, 2022 @ 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
UFBI Virtual Seminar Series Hosts Sandra Knapp
UFBI is hosting Visiting UFBI Seminar Series Guest Speaker Sandra Knapp, Honorary Research Professor, University College London, Genes, Ecology and Environment, UK, on Friday, April 8, 2022.
Friday, April 8, 2022
12:00PM – 1:00PM
Virtual via Zoom
Title: Diversity and distribution in Solanum (Solanaceae)
Abstract: Solanum (Solanaceae – the nightshade family) is one of the largest genera of flowering plants, with 1,250 currently accepted species. I is also economically important with the potato one of the four main sources of human carbohydrates. Solanum has not been treated taxonomically in its entirety since the 19th century; our work as a consortium has shed light on not only species diversity, but the improved species level understanding has led to insights about biogeography and diversification and more recently about synapomorphies defining clades. Together, species-level taxonomy and phylogenetics can help unravel the complexities of large genera like Solanum in iterative ways. I will talk about the way in which we have approached studying this monster genus, and a few of the derivative studies that have emerged from this solid taxonomic backbone – one on diversification and another on morphology.
Bio: Dr. Sandra Knapp is a specialist on the taxonomy of the nightshade family, Solanaceae, and has spent much time in the field in Central and South America collecting plants. Her particular focus of research is the taxonomy of the nightshade family Solanaceae, focusing on the megadiverse genus Solanum, which contains potatoes, tomatoes and eggplants and is one of only a handful of flowering plant genera with more than 1000 species, and more recently the peppers (Capsicum) and their poorly known close relatives in the genus Lycianthes. She has described more than 75 new species of plants, mostly in Solanum and from the New World tropics. Sandra came to the Natural History Museum in 1992 to manage the international project Flora Mesoamericana – a synoptic inventory of the approximately 18,000 species of plants of southern Mexico and the isthmus of Central America.
Sandy Knapp is the recipient of the Fairchild Medal for Plant Exploration. https://ntbg.org/news/sandraknapp_interview/
Talk is free, but registration is required. Zoom link will be sent to registrants before the event.