Systematics

What Is Systematics?

Systematics is rooted in the identification and classification of all forms of nature. Often, systematics research involves an understanding of how species or forms behave and interact in different environments -- from the atomic to planetary, above and below the surface of the Earth, from the past, to the present and through to the future of the 4.5 billion-year-old planet we live on. This in-depth knowledge of animals, plants, fossils, rocks and minerals is essential for the successful management of the Earth's natural resources. Systematics research provides information to measure the impact of humans on the environment. It helps predict trends by conducting extensive inventories of species and establishing priorities for species and habitat protection.

Our Systematics Research

Researchers at the Canadian Museum of Nature specialize in systematics research based on natural history collections. This type of work involves the study of the diversity and the relationships among species.

Systematics research is done on minerals, fossil plants and animals, and the recent fauna and flora. It includes the classification and naming of species (nomenclature), the study of origin and speciation (evolution), the description of the evolutionary relationships among those species (phylogeny) and their distribution (biogeography). The results of this research provide the basic information that is vital to the management of natural resources in Canada.

Federal Biodiversity Information Partnership

This federal coordinating mechanism was initiated in April 2003, through the Nature Committee of federal Assistant Deputy Ministers. The initiative was championed by Joanne DiCosimo of the Canadian Museum of Nature and Gordon Dorrell of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. The FBIP now comprises the federal departments of Agriculture, Environment, Fisheries and Oceans, the Food Inspection Agency, Health, the Public Health Agency, Natural Resources, Parks and Nature. The FBIP reports to the federal ADM's (Assistant Deputy Minister) Committee for Science and Technology. The FBIP's Management Board is chaired by Geoff Munro, the Chief Scientist for Natural Resources Canada.

The FBIP will establish itself as a focal point for federal systematics research and bioinformatics, and has organized demonstration projects to emphasize the importance of systematics expertise and the application of informatics to significant challenges. It represents Canada to the Global Biodiversity Information Facility. More information about FBIP initiatives can be found at www.cbif.gc.ca/fbip/fbip_e.php.

Systematics Services

Taxonomic Identification
Nature's experts provide taxonomic identification services.

Restriction fragment banding patterns of Canadian Arctic Poa.

An arctic bluegrass of the genus Poa.

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This image shows some of the results of a study of the DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) of different plants. In this case, the plants were species of arctic grasses, and the Canadian Museum of Nature researcher was Lynn Gillespie.

In this process, known as Restriction Fragment Analysis, DNA is extracted from representative plants of each species and many copies of a specific part of the DNA are made using PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) technology. These strands are then subjected to restriction enzymes. Each enzyme recognizes a different DNA sequence, and cuts the DNA strands where that sequence occurs. The DNA is then placed at the top of a rectangular gel and an electric current is applied, causing the charged DNA fragments to move. The fragments move and separate according to their size, with shorter fragments moving faster than long fragments. The DNA is stained and viewed under ultraviolet light. The result is a pattern of DNA bands, each band corresponding to fragments of a specific size. The length of the fragments making up each band can be determined by comparison with a standard DNA marker, like a ruler. Banding patterns can be used to characterize different plant species or groups of species.

This image of the results compares the DNA restriction fragment banding patterns of different species of bluegrass (genus Poa) from the Canadian Arctic. The banding pattern on the far right is from a second genus, the alkali grasses (genus Puccinellia). The pattern on the left is the standard marker.

Cladogram of Canadian Arctic Poa.

Comparison of similarities and differences among the banding patterns enables researchers to study the relationships of the different species to one another. Significant differences suggest that species might be classified in different genera, while smaller differences distinguish species within the same genus.

A branching diagram called a cladogram may be constructed from this data. It shows the relationships of the different species to one another. Species or lineages that diverge near the base of the cladogram are more distantly related, while species that diverge near the top of the cladogram are closely related.