National Museum of Natural History
Smithsonian Institution
PO Box 37012
MRC 166
Washington, D.C. 20013-7012
peterson.paul@nmnh.si.edu
Research Interests
I am most interested in species and generic relationships, and biogeographical patterns in the subfamily Chloridoideae. My specialty is biosystematic studies of the grasses (Poaceae) and grass-like families (Cyperaceae) using a multitude of techniques ranging from in depth morphological, anatomical, cytological, micromorphological, molecular, cladistic, and population based genetic studies using soluble enzymes. I have completed revisionary studies in large grass genera, such as: Eragrostis, Muhlenbergia, and Sporobolus, all important forage grasses.
Current Research Projects
Catalogue of New World Grasses, a nomenclature, taxonomy, type, and distributional database of all grasses in the Western Hemisphere (also available online at http://mobot.mobot.org/Pick/Search/nwgc.html .
Current or Projected Exhibits
Online exhibit, traveling exhibit, and book exploring the life and work of botanist Mary Agnes Chase, through the natural history of the grasses. Work in progress.
Recent Publications
Peterson, P. M., J. Cayouette, Y. S. N. Ferdinandez, B. Coulman, and R. E. Chapman. 2002. Recognition of Bromus richardsonii and B. ciliatus: Evidence from morphology, cytology, and DNA fingerprinting (Poaceae: Bromeae). Aliso 20:21-36.
Abu-Asab, M. S., P. M. Peterson, S. G. Shetler, and S. S. Orli. 2001. Earlier plant flowering in spring as a response to global warming in the Washington, DC, area. Biodiversity and Conservation 10:597-612.
Laegaard, S. and P. M. Peterson. 2001. 214(2). GRAMINEAE (part 2) Subfam. Chloridoideae. Pp. 1-131. In: Harling, G. and L. Andersson ( eds.). Flora of Ecuador 68.
Peterson, P. M. and Y. Herrera-Arrieta. 2001. A leaf blade anatomical survey of Muhlenbergia (Poaceae:Muhlenbergiinae). Sida 19:469-506.
Peterson, P. M., R. J. Soreng, G. Davidse, T. S. Filgueiras, F. O. Zuloaga, and E. J. Judziewicz. 2001. Catalogue of New World grasses (Poaceae): II. subfamily Chloridoideae. Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb. 41:1-255.
Peterson, P. M. 2000. Systematics of the Muhlenbergiinae (Chloridoideae: Eragrostideae). Pp. 195-212. In: S. W. L. Jacobs and J. Everett (eds.). Grasses: Systematics and Evolution. CSIRO, Melbourne.
Peterson, P. M. and J. J. Ortíz-Diaz. 1998. Allelic variation in the amphitropical disjunct Muhlenbergia torreyi (Poaceae: Muhlenbergiinae). Brittonia 50: 381-391.
Peterson, P. M., R. D. Webster, and J. Valdes-Reyna. 1997. Genera of New World Eragrostideae (Poaceae: Chloridoideae). Smithsonian Contributions to Botany 87: 1-50.
Duvall, M. R., P. M. Peterson, and A. H. Christensen. 1994. Alliances of Muhlenbergia within the New World Eragrostideae are identified by phylogenetic analysis of mapped restriction sites from plastid DNA's. Amer. J. Bot. 81: 622-629.
Peterson, P. M. and C. R. Annable. 1991. Systematics of the annual species of Muhlenbergia (Poaceae: Eragrostideae). Syst. Bot. Monographs 31:1-109.