Assistant Curator
National Museum of Natural History
Smithsonian Institution
PO Box 37012
NHB W523 MRC 166
Washington, D.C. 20013-7012
Research Interests
Systematic biology: Systematics, phylogenetics, and biogeography of Euphorbiaceae s.l. and other Malpighiales; also Thymelaeaceae. Evolutionary biology: plant-insect interactions, especially pertaining to ants and myrmecophytic associations. Floristic work: neotropics, southeastern USA, Molecular biology: genome evolution especially in plant mitochondria; processes of molecular evolution. History of science: botanical exploration and natural history, especially pertaining to 19th century southeastern USA.
Current Research Projects
Molecular phylogenetics at a variety of levels (species to ordinal) involving members of Euphorbiaceae, Malpighiales, and Thymelaeaceae; molecular and genome evolution of Rafflesiaceae; horizontal gene tranfer; new genes for plant molecular phylogenetics
Recent Publications
Davis, C. C., M. Latvis, D. L. Nickrent,K. J. Wurdack and D. A. Baum. 2007. Floral gigantism in Rafflesiaceae. Science 315: 1812.
Hoffmann, P. and K. J. Wurdack. 2006. Radcliffea, a new genus of Euphorbiaceae sensu stricto from Madagascar. Kew Bulletin 61: 193-197.
Hoffmann, P., H. Kathriarachchi, and K. J. Wurdack. 2006. A phylogenetic classification of Phyllanthaceae (Malpighiales; Euphorbiaceae sensu lato). Kew Bulletin 61: 37–53.
Wurdack, K. J. 2006. The lectotypification and 19th century history of Croton alabamensis. Sida 22: 469–484.
Davis, C. C., W. R. Anderson, and K. J. Wurdack. 2005. Gene transfer from a parasitic flowering plant to a fern. Proceedings of the Royal Society B. 272: 2237-2242.
Wurdack, K. J., P. Hoffmann, and M. W. Chase. 2005. Molecular phylogenetic analysis of uniovulate Euphorbiaceae (Euphorbiaceae sensu stricto) using plastid rbcL and trnL-F DNA sequences. American Journal of Botany 92: 1397-1420.
Kress W. J., K. J. Wurdack, E. A. Zimmer, L. A. Weigt, and D. H. Janzen. 2005. Use of DNA barcodes to identify flowering plants. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (USA) 102: 8369-8374.
Davis, C. C., C. O. Webb, K. J. Wurdack, C. A. Jaramillo, and M. J. Donoghue. 2005. Explosive radiation of Malpighiales supports a mid-Cretaceous origin of modern tropical rain forests. American Naturalist 165: E36-E65.
Wurdack, K. J., P. Hoffmann, R. Samuel, A. de Bruijn, M. van der Bank, and M.W. Chase. 2004. Molecular phylogenetic analysis of Phyllanthaceae (Phyllanthoideae pro parte, Euphorbiaceae sensu lato) using plastid rbcL DNA sequences. American Journal of Botany 91: 1882-1900.
Davis, C. C., and K. J. Wurdack. 2004. Host-to-parasite gene transfer in flowering plants: phylogenetic evidence from Malpighiales. Science 305: 676-678.
Updated -11/13/07
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