As plant biologists enter a new era in which comparative genomics promises to address fundamental questions in botany, such as unraveling metabolic and regulatory networks, the inestimable value and usefulness of robust systematic studies quickly become clear. In simplest terms, systematic studies can indicate which genomes in the plant kingdom to search, sample, and study for the answers to qu...

The common term, "malaria parasites," is controversial in its use. Malaria is a disease, not a parasite. Thus, it is not appropriate to write or speak of "malaria infecting a bird." So, the parasites should be referred to as "malaria parasites" just as we might refer to "the cold virus." But, malaria is a human disease, with characteristic symptoms. Infection causes pathology in other vertebrat...

Despite numerous systematic studies, the relationships among many species within the dog family, Canidae, remain unresolved. Two problems of broad evolutionary significance are the origins of the taxonomically rich canidae fauna of South America and the development in three species of the trenchant heel, a unique meat-cutting blade on the lower first molar. The first problem is of interest beca...

The genus Phytopythium (Peronosporales) has been described, but a complete circumscription has not yet been presented. In the present paper we provide molecular-based evidence that members of Pythium clade K as described by Lévesque & de Cock (2004) belong to Phytopythium. Maximum likelihood and Bayesian phylogenetic analysis of the nuclear ribosomal DNA (LSU and SSU) and mitochondrial DNA cyto...

2The Lewis B. and Dorothy Cullman Program for Molecular Systematics Studies, The New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, New York 10458-5126 USA; 3Molecular Systematics Section, Jodrell Laboratory, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, TW9 3DS, UK; 4University of Michigan Herbarium, North University Building, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-1057 USA; and 5Molecular Biology Building, Iowa State Univ...