From aceska at telus.net Mon Aug 8 20:45:21 2011 From: aceska at telus.net (Adolf Ceska) Date: Mon, 8 Aug 2011 12:45:21 -0700 Subject: [BEN-L]BEN # 441 Message-ID: <005901cc5603$b5766e70$20634b50$@net> BBBBB EEEEEE NN N ISSN 1188-603X BB B EE NNN N =20 BBBBB EEEEE NN N N BOTANICAL BB B EE NN NN ELECTRONIC BBBBB EEEEEE NN N NEWS No. 441 August 8, 2011 aceska@telus.net Victoria, B.C. ----------------------------------------------------------- Dr. A. Ceska, 1809 Penshurst, Victoria, BC, Canada V8N 2N6 ----------------------------------------------------------- IMPORTANT DECISIONS OF THE NOMENCLATURE SECTION OF THE XVIII = INTERNATIONAL BOTANICAL CONGRESS, MELBOURNE, 18=9622 JULY 2011=20 From: John McNeill, Rapporteur-g=E9n=E9ral, Nomenclature Section, XVIII = IBC, Melbourne 24=9629 July 2011 1) Electronic publication The Nomenclature Section accepted a proposal to add the words in bold to Art. 29.1 and also accepted a number of corollary proposals, the effect = of the more important of which is described below: =9329.1. Publication is effected, under this _Code_, by distribution Of printed matter (through sale, exchange or gift) to the general public = or=20 At least to botanical institutions with libraries accessible to = botanists generally. (BOLD-STARTS) Publication is also effected by electronic distribution of material in Portable Document Format (PDF; see also Rec. 29A.0) in an online serial publication with an International Standard = Serial Number (ISSN) or an International Standard Book Number (ISBN) = (BOLD-ENDS) Publication is not effected by communication of new names at a public meeting, by the placing of names in collections or gardens open to the public, by the issue of microfilm made from manuscripts, typescripts or other unpublished material, (BOLD-STARTS) or by distribution = electronically other than as described above.=94(BOLD-ENDS) =9329.2. For the purpose of this Article, 'online' is defined as accessible electronically via the World Wide Web.=94 In order for any nomenclatural action, e.g. the description of a new species, the transfer of a species to a different genus, or actions (typifications) to fix the application of a name, to be effective, it = must be =93effectively published=94 Article 29 specifies what this means. = Hitherto the distribution of printed matter has been necessary=96 now this may = also be distribution of electronic material in pdf. The effective date of the new provisions is 1 January 2012, a year = earlier than would be normal for implementation of a decision to change the = _Code_=92s requirements. There are also provisions establishing that the content of a particular electronic publication must not be altered after it is first issued and = that a version indicated as preliminary is not effectively published. For published comment see: http://www.nature.com/news/2011/110720/full/news.2011.428.html =20 2) Modification of the Latin requirement Currently, in order to publish the name of a new taxon, e.g. a species, = of non-fossil plants a description and/or a diagnosis in Latin must be provided. The Nomenclature Section modified this so that effective from = 1 January 2012, the description and/or diagnosis may be in either English = or Latin for valid publication of the name of all new taxa. [This is the current requirement for names of plant fossils, published on of after 1 January 1996 =96 previously for fossil plants it was any language.] Since 1935 a Latin description or diagnosis has been required for new = taxa of all non-fossil plants, except algae, for which the requirement has existed since 1958. 3) =93One fungus =96 one name=94 and =93one fossil =96 one name=94 For over 30 years, the _International Code of Botanical Nomenclature_ = has had provision for separate names for asexual and sexual morphs of those fungi whose life history involves such very different morphological expressions that, until recently, were commonly impossible to link one = to the other. Molecular studies have changed this situation very = substantially, and more and more connections are being made, so that the asexual phase = (the anamorph) and the sexual phase (the teleomorph) of the one fungal = species are increasingly being identified. As a result it has become increasingly anomalous to have separate names = for the anamorph and the teleomorph phases of the one fungal species, and = the concept of one name for one fungus has become increasingly supported by mycologists even with a _One Fungus =96 One Name_ symposium held earlier = this year in Amsterdam, leading to an _Amsterdam Declaration_ seeking this = change in the _Code_. The Nomenclature Section agreed to delete the Article (Art. 59) with the detailed provisions for anamorph and teleomorph names that included a restriction that the name applied to the whole fungus (the holomorph) = had to be one that was based on a teleomorphic element. In the place of the = current Art. 59, provisions to minimise nomenclatural change as a result of = adopting the one fungus, one name principle. This change will take effect from 1 January 2013. The nomenclature of fossils falling under the _Code_ has had similar but even more extensive provisions for separate names for fossils that might prove to belong to the same species. In the current _Code_, a name based = on a fossil applied only to the part of the organism, the life-history = stage, or the preservational state represented by the fossil upon which the = name was based. Named fossil taxa were therefore different from those of non-fossil organisms and were termed =93morphotaxa=94. This meant that even if organic connections could be made between = different fossils, there was no clear provision for naming the more complete = organism. The Nomenclature Section decided to abandon the whole concept of = morphotaxa, and as a result names of fossils will be exactly like other names, and = if organic connections are made the earliest name applicable to the = integrated fossil taxon will be the name to use, so as with fungi, the principle of =93one fossil, one name=94 has been adopted. 4) =93Registration=94 of names of fungi Most of the major journals publishing mycological papers currently = require, as a condition of acceptance of the paper, that any new name being = published includes a _MycoBank_ identifier. The Nomenclature Section agreed to go = a step further and require this for valid publication of any new fungal = name.=20 The main components of the new Article are: =93For organisms treated as fungi under this _Code_ (Pre.7), from 1 = January 2013 the citation of an identifier issued by a recognized repository ... = in the protologue is an additional requirement for valid publication. Further clauses explain that the minimum elements of information being registered must be those required for valid publication under the = existing provisions of the _Code_ (Art. 32.1 (b=96e)) and establish that the Nomenclature Committee for Fungi has the power to appoint =93one or more localized or decentralized open and accessible electronic repositories to perform = this function=94 to remove such repositories at its discretion; and even to = set aside the requirement should the repository mechanism, cease to = function. The currently appointed repository is _MycoBank_ = (http://www.mycobank.org) 5) Title of the _Code_ In order to make clearer that the _Code_ covers fungi as well as green plants the Section agreed that the title should be: _International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants_, instead of the existing _International Code of Botanical Nomenclature_. A SYNOPSIS OF E-FLORA BC From: Brian Klinkenberg brian.klinkenberg@geog.ubc.ca=20 =20 Ten years ago, if you wanted to learn about the vascular flora of = British Columbia, the best source was the eight volumes of the _Illustrated = Flora of British Columbia_ (George Douglas, Del Medeinger, Jim Pojar, and Gerald Straley; 1998-2002). Yet, like other printed sources, even as it was printed, it was out of date. Today, with the development of E-Flora BC (http://eflora.bc.ca), things are very different. Not only is much of = the _Illustrated Flora_ brought online, but, in-step with the British = Columbia Conservation Data Centre and the BC Species and Ecosystems Explorer, = species and nomenclature is regularly updated. This ability to maintain a = =91living=92 current record of the flora that is readily accessible is a big = advantage of web-based publications and E-Flora BC. However, E-Flora BC provides much more than a =91virtual=92 replacement = for the eight volumes of the _Illustrated Flora_. The tremendous power of = web-based technology means that web publications like E-Flora can place a wealth = of information at your fingertips and can tap into a considerable array of other significant botanical resources. In our case, we tap into several = key resources, including records from several major herbaria and, using = =91deep links=92, several major databases of plant information, including the = USDA PLANTS database, Flora North America, the Integrated Taxonomic = Information (ITIS), the BC Species and Ecosystem Explorer, and NatureServe Explorer. = =20 In addition to this harnessing of major data sources, and making them = easily accessible, technological =91tools=92 such as digital cameras, GPS units = and Google Earth now allow botanists (amateur and professional) from across = the province to directly contribute to our knowledge of the flora of the province by submitting georeferenced photographs=97ultimately building a = new database of information that complements traditional botanical = collection data. Because identification is vetted by experts, this citizen science component has added a new edge to the E-Flora data presentation.=20 =20 Although we had a vision of what E-Flora BC could become when we first developed the site in 2002, little did we anticipate how comprehensive = it would become. We now have over 14,500 verified photos of vascular = plants (a growing number of which are georeferenced and can be interactively = mapped and queried). These have been submitted by over 440 photographers. We = have over 1,000,000 species records from various herbaria (including ALA, = ALTA, CAN, CPNWH, V [RBCM], UBC) and from other major BC data sources (BC-CDC, BEC, IAPP). As well, E-Flora also incorporates several other provincially-significant floristic resources. This includes material extracted from other key BC publications in addition to the Illustrated Flora: =95 _Some Common Mosses of British Columbia_ (Wilf Schofield),=20 =95 _North Pacific Seaweeds_ (Rita O'Clair and Sandra Lindstrom),=20 =95 _Lichens of British Columbia_ (2 volumes) (Trevor Goward, Bruce McCune, and Del Medeinger),=20 =95 _Indicator Plants of British Columbia_ (Karel Klinka, Adolf Ceska, Anna Scagel and Vladimir J. Krajina),=20 =95 _MatchMaker: Mushrooms of the Pacific Northwest_ (Ian Gibson). >From its initial coverage of vascular plants (>3000 taxa), E-Flora BC = today provides a comprehensive resource that now includes fungi (1728 taxa), lichens (1494 taxa), macro algae (593 taxa) and mosses (837 taxa). = While detailed information is presently limited to common species in some of = these groups, others are more comprehensive. For example, the 1723 fungi descriptions provided by Ian Gibson contain detailed descriptions = compiled from major mycological works of the Northern Hemisphere and specialized monographs. There are approximately 5000 photos in the Photo Gallery covering more than 1600 non-vascular species. For the fungi alone we = have 847 different taxa represented in 2569 photographs. Photos in each = group are vetted by an expert before publication, ensuring the validity of the information provided through E-Flora BC. As a result of the numerous databases we use for mapping, the = publications we incorporate and bring online, and the growing dataset we are = developing through photo contributions, E-Flora has evolved into a complex and significant botanical resource. (Complete details on all of the = publications and databases used in E-Flora can be found on pages such as =93About the = data=94 http://www.geog.ubc.ca/biodiversity/eflora/data.html .) Use has = increased remarkably, and there is growing use of E-Flora outside of BC. In = addition to field botanists, other groups that make regular use of E-Flora = include high school and public school classes, as well as university courses = (e.g., biosciences, geography, forestry), gardeners, invasive species groups = and the general public. Adding to the complexity and depth of the site, and a significant = complement to the comprehensive species-specific information provided in E-Flora, = are the articles and essays on botanical themes. These include the overviews = on the species groups covered in E-Flora, overviews on biogeography and ecology, and essays on invasive species and rare species. This material = was prepared by experts on those subjects. =20 Unsolicited comments such as: "Thanks for the link to the beautiful = E-Flora site. Really a treasure trove of clear prose and photos of natives and invasives" make us realize the impact that E-Flora has had among those = of us who spend our time studying plants. But perhaps the real value of = E-Flora lies in the growing use of the site by non-botanists and the general = public. These are users who are exploring BC plants and botany for the first = time, and for a variety of reasons, and =91get hooked=92. First contact is = often by way of a photo sent to us for identification. But often, now, these = folks stay with us and begin sending in photos for our galleries. A new = cohort of botanists is growing. Some E-Flora Stats: Who visits E-Flora BC When you publish a book you will eventually know how many books have = been sold, but finding out who bought the book and how often they refer to it = is something you will likely never know. However, with web sites it is possible to determine how many people visit the site, and where they = come from, amongst other facts. =20 In developing E-Flora, knowing who visits, where they come from, and = what hardware and software they are using, is interesting and helpful. For example, if we want E-Flora to work on all of the different browsers and operating systems out there, we need to know what browser software our visitors use. Because our visitors use different browsers, we need to ensure that our pages display properly in all browsers, and in the many versions of each of these browsers. This requires us to write browser-specific routines for many of our pages, something that adds complexity to the running of the site. By examining the Google statistics for E-Flora BC we can identify that, = in July, 2011, 1987 people visited the home page of E-Flora BC; those = people viewed 11,868 different pages in total, spending on average 5 minutes = and 30 seconds looking at the pages. Thirty-two percent of those visitors in = July were visiting E-Flora for the first time, while forty percent visited = the site ten or more times (10% visited the site more than 100 times in = July). According to Google, forty percent of the visitors used Internet = Explorer when viewing the pages, while thirty-one percent used Firefox and = nineteen percent use Safari. We are seeing an increase in the number of people = using mobile devices to view the site (about 5% in the past month). Over the = past six months there have been over 25,000 visitors to E-Flora=92s home page = (note that these numbers only refer to visits to the home page, not to any of = the Atlas pages or to the photo gallery). How do people find the site? Forty-four percent of visitors came to the E-Flora home page as a result of a Google search, using a variation of =91E-Flora=92 as their search term. Twenty-six percent came directly to = the site (i.e., they have a bookmark that leads them directly to the home = page), while thirty percent arrived by clicking on a link on another site. Where do the visitors come from? In the past six months, people from 92 different countries have visited E-Flora BC. While most are from Canada (85%), 7% come from the United States. About equal numbers of visitors = came from the UK, Germany, France, India, Spain, China and Sweden. We even = have had a few visitors from Iran, Iraq, Iceland and Qatar.=20 =20 How accurate are these statistics? The data that is collected by Google only relates to people who visit the home page. Therefore, if someone = uses Google to look for a specific species and goes directly to an Atlas = page, or if someone has bookmarked the E-Flora photo gallery page, Google = doesn=92t track their visit. Thus, the number of people who use E-Flora is under-represented by the statistics presented above. Some indication of this undercounting is evident by the observation that 20% of the = visitors to the home page come from =91within=92 E-Flora=97that is, they arrived at = the home page by clicking on the =91E-Flora BC Home Page=92 button presented at = the top of an Atlas page. Thus, we can see that while E-Flora BC is used primarily by people from = BC, there are people from around the world who have visited the site. =20 What is the most common request we receive? We typically get several = emails a week asking if we can help identify an unknown plant and, most of the time, we are able to provide an answer (thanks, in part, to the many = people in BC=92s botanical community who provide assistance to E-Flora BC). We = have also received emails asking if we could provide guidance in the = development of similar sites and, lately, if we were considering the development of = an E-Flora =91app.=92 That is, in fact, something we are working on, = although the process is one fraught with complications, the primary one being that = the target is constantly shifting (that is, what was considered the best way = to create an =91app=92 last year is now considered not appropriate, so one = has to be always aware of upcoming trends in software development). E-Fauna BC For those interested, we are also working on a companion site to E-Flora = BC. E-Fauna BC (http://efauna.bc.ca), an atlas of the wildlife of British Columbia. This site is steadily growing and now contains atlas pages for many faunal groups, including bats, carnivores, fish, earthworms, land snails, dragonflies, butterflies, mosquitoes, sea stars and crabs. THIRD EDITION OF R.P. ADAMS' _JUNIPERS OF THE WORLD_ Robert P. Adams. 2011. _Junipers of the World: The genus Juniperus_. 3rd Edition. Trafford Publ., Vancouver, BC ISBN: 9781426953828 436 p. The 3rd edition is now available for $29.95 from trafford.com =20 or amazon.com The _Junipers of the World_ contains a synthesis of data on evolution by examining: Geographic Variation: Pan-Arctic variation in _Juniperus communis_, etc. Speciation in sections of the genus: Species concepts,=20 Speciation in _Juniperus_ section _Juniperus_, etc. In addition, Keys to = _Juniperus_ are provided by region: Eastern Hemisphere, Europe = (including Azores, Canary Islands, Asia Minor and Africa), Central Asia = (Turkmenistan to=20 Western Himalayas), China, Far East (Japan, Korea, Sakhalin Island, = Taiwan), Western Hemisphere, Continental North America, United States and Canada, Mexico And Guatemala, and the Caribbean. Also included are Species' = Descriptions, Distribution Maps and Plant Photos, and chapters on Hybridization, = Ecology, Cultivated Junipers, Commercial uses of leaf and wood oils of = _Juniperus_, a Cross Indexed Synonymy of _Juniperus_, and Tables on the Leaf essential = oils by species in sections. This book supplements the web site = www.juniperus.org and the reader will find literature citations and a detailed discussion = of data that is not present on the web site. "The Junipers of the World is = now the authoritative reference for _Juniperus_." "Prof. Adams has presented arguments for the recognition of species and varieties by showing the = data analyses that led to taxonomic decisions. This is one of the few = treatments that really integrates data and the reasoning behind taxonomic = decisions. In addition, Prof. Adams is candid in admitting that the recognition of = some taxa are not well supported and deserve additional study." "An essential reference book that will be useful for herbaria, museums, wildlife biologists, Range scientist, foresters, ecologists and all who are = involved in identification and study of _Juniperus_ species." ____________________________________________________________ Subscriptions: http://victoria.tc.ca/mailman/listinfo/ben-l =20 Send submissions to aceska@telus.net =20 BEN is archived at http://www.ou.edu/cas/botany-micro/ben/ =20 ____________________________________________________________