PROJECT UPDATE: Kew eTaxonomy Workshop 26 May 2011

Paul Wilkin

Iris hymenospatha. Photo M. Zarrei

eMonocot Background

• Started late 2010• Funded by NERC via

consortium grant• Large scale, coherent,

sustainable taxonomically based information resource on the monocots

• Primarily aimed towards biodiversity scientists

• Why monocots?

Fritillaria raddeana. Photo M. Zarrei

Aims of eMonocotWhen complete, eMonocot will:1. Enable the identification of monocot

plants anywhere in the world• Provide a wealth of information about

monocot species, genera and families• Address separately the needs of

different users• Link together monocot taxonomists to

enhance their productivity• Provide a model for web taxonomy

Lysichiton americanum. Photo I. Kitching

eMonocot OrganisationContent team: Kew • Content development • Integration with strategic & ICT

programmes • Post project sustainability

ICT team: Oxford• Software development • Link with bioinformatics & eScience

Outreach team: Natural History Museum • Scratchpad functionality• Extension to Zoology• Web metrics

Dioscorea dodecaneura fruit. Photo A. Popovkin

eMonocot Existing ResourcesCATE-Araceae (www.cate-araceae.org)• 104 genera, ca 4000 species

Palmweb (www.palmweb.org)• 190 genera, ca 2600 species

Grassbase (www.kew.org/data/grasses-db.html).• Ca 700 genera, 11611 species

Monocot checklist (www.kew.org/wcsp/monocots)• Ca 70000 monocot species Monstera adansonii. Photo I.

Andrade

eMonocot DeliverablesAPGIII (77) families key/pagesGeneric keys/pages (ca 2100 genera):• Araceae [CATE-Araceae]• Arecaceae [Palmweb]• Asparagaceae• Cyperaceae• Dioscoreaceae• Liliaceae• Orchidaceae• Poaceae [GrassBase]

Tulipa sp. Photo M. Zarrei

3 species level resources: • European Monocots (ca 2000 spp)• Cypripedioideae (ca 130 spp)• Sampled Red List Index Project (1500 spp)

eMonocot website

http://e-monocot.org

Crocus sieberi & Scilla bifolia

Content Progress (1)Developing keys in LUCID: Monocot families & Dioscoreaceae

Content Progress (2)Developing keys in LUCID: Cypripedioideae

Cypripedium kentuckiense. Photo N. Turland

Content Progress (3)Identifying content sources and acquiring content; an administration database has been constructed.

Content Progress (4)

• Report on communities and content compiled.

• Establishing a collaborative link with the Swiss Orchid Foundation to deliver Orchid content

• Dioscoreaceae scratchpad in development

Dactylorhiza praetermissa. Photo I. Kitching

ICT Progress (1)• Stakeholder survey• Documentation of existing systems• Existing systems functionality workshop• Content documentation• Data exchange standards, tools & technologies documentation• eMonocot design work

Iris acutiloba Photo M. Zarrei

ICT progress (2)New vision of prototype architecture• Portal plus data editing system• Scratchpad role

Outreach Progress (1)Impact plan – UK monocot ID guide• Lyme Regis Fossil Festival• Developing links to UK

biodiversity scientists & volunteer scientists

Hyacinthoides non-scripta

Monocot guided walk. Photo Ed Baker

Outreach Progress (2)

Workshops for Monocot systematists• Call for proposals this

summer• First workshop in

Chicago in September• Carex

Subsequent workshops in London & potentially worldwide in late 2011 & 2012

Iris reticulata. Photo M. Zarrei

Summary

• Significant early progress in all project areas

• Much more work to do• Update in the Autumn

Allium ursinum