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Our actions during the next two decades will largely determine how many of the world's ca. 300,000 species of vascular plants will survive for future generations. The fundamental data that define both the taxonomic frameworks within which species are circumscribed and delimited from related species, as well as the geographical distributions of those species, reside in the world's ca. 3000 herbaria. These herbaria, and the taxonomists who work in them, can and must play a critical role in identifying as rapidly as possible those species most threatened with extinction. A project that has focused on the species in Madagascar's seven endemic plant families has demonstrated the necessity of reviewing, and then revising when necessary, the existing taxonomic framework. Comprehensive databasing and geo-referencing of primary occurrence data then facilitated simple GIS analyses of Extent of Occurrence, Area of Occupancy, estimates of the number of "subpopulations," and their presence/absence in protected areas, all of which are parameters that contribute to an expedient preliminary assessment of extinction risk. In addition, simultaneous mapping of all species in the endemic families revealed centers of species richness and endemism of particular conservation importance: both those already incorporated in the protected areas system, and, more importantly, those that currently fall outside of the protection network. Partnerships among the world's herbaria can efficiently achieve an initial global assessment of the most threatened vascular plant species by focussing on taxa endemic at political and regional (e.g., Hotspot) scales. The synthesis and analysis of the primary data housed in the world's herbaria-our only incontestable record of plant life on Earth-constitutes the most effective and robust means of directly informing conservation planning, and thereby minimizing the loss of plant diversity.
In 1914, the Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden, the flagship journal of the scientific publications program, was founded to contain research contributions from staff members at the Garden, graduate students of the Henry Shaw School of Botany of Washington University, and from visiting botanists associated with the Garden. Since that time, the Annals has grown to be one of the world's premiere peer-reviewed botanical journals, published quarterly, with an emphasis on systematic botany and taxonomy. Articles are accepted in English and Spanish, from botanists at the Garden and from the international botanical community.
The Missouri Botanical Garden was founded in 1859 by the successful English businessman Henry Shaw and is the oldest botanical garden in the United States. Within its 79 acres are spectacular display and demonstration gardens and rare collections of botanical, horticultural, and historical materials, as well as architecturally and historically significant buildings. Today the Garden is a major cultural institution, a designated National Historical Landmark, and a world-renowned botanical research center. The Missouri Botanical Garden Press, an integral part of the Garden's research division, has a history of over 100 years of scientific publications. Since the publication of the Trelease article in 1890, the program has grown phenomenally. It includes two quarterly scientific journals, a series of books on various aspects of botanical research, and several floras that cover botanically significant areas of the world. The Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden, the Garden's primary scientific journal, was founded in 1914 and concentrates on systematic botany and taxonomy. The Annals is known for its traditional monographs and revisions of plant genera, as well as cutting-edge articles on molecular phylogenetics, and for its themed issues, on topics such as the origin of modern terrestrial ecosystems and recent discoveries in the plant, animal, and other kingdoms. Novon, a journal for botanical nomenclature, began in 1991 and contains papers establishing new nomenclature in vascular plants and bryophytes. The number of pages continues to grow from year to year, an indicator of the important niche in the botanical systematics community filled by this journal. Monographs in Systematic Botany from the Missouri Botanical Garden were started in 1978 as a way of making lengthy botanical works available as well-made, stand-alone volumes. The series includes several single-topic treatises, as well as ongoing titles, such as the Moss Flora of Central America, Icones Pleurothallidinarum, Index to Plant Chromosome Numbers, and many more. MBG Press is also the proud publisher of several regional and national floras, including those of China, Mesoamerica, Nicaragua, the Venezuelan Guayana, Panama, and more. For a full listing, and for more information on Research at the Missouri Botanical Garden, see www.mobot.org.
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Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden
© 2002 Missouri Botanical Garden Press