Abstract Detail
Teaching Section Stern, Stephen [1]. Systematics of Solanum: Incorporating Undergraduates in the Lab and Herbarium. The genus Solanum (Solanaceae) is one of the largest and most economically important plant genera. Understanding the taxonomy and phylogenetics of a large plant genus like Solanum is daunting for even the most seasoned systematists. The phylogenetics relationships and nomenclature of these plants can be particularly overwhelming for undergraduate students. Undergraduates commonly do not have a strong background in taxonomy, which can limit their ability to conduct research in the herbarium. Instead, undergraduates are commonly incorporated into phylogenetic research in the laboratory, where they can be taught a simple workflow to generate DNA sequence data. Unfortunately this type of research is often not put into a full, holistic context to help undergraduates understand why this research is important. Here I describe research conducted by undergraduates in both the lab and herbarium to clarify phylogenetic relationships and aid in new species descriptions. This methodology may help to put systematic research into a "big picture" context for undergraduate researchers.
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1 - 1100 North Avenue, Grand Junction, CO, 81501, USA
Keywords:
Solanum
Solanaceae
undergraduate education
new species.
Presentation Type: Oral Paper:Papers for Sections
Session: 19
Location: Cottonwoods North/Boise Centre
Date: Tuesday, July 29th, 2014
Time: 9:00 AM
Number: 19005
Abstract ID:350
Candidate for Awards:None | 