ERIK PAUL ROTHACKER
Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology
Ohio State University
Museum of Biological Diversity
1315 Kinnear Rd.
Columbus, OH. 43212
(614) 292.8147
Research interests
I
am a doctoral
student at the
The Ohio State University, in
the
Department of
Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, affiliated with the
Herbarium
at the OSU
Museum of Biological Diversity. My research is in the fields of systematics
and phylogenetics, particularly within plant family Orchidaceae.
Systematics is the study of the historical relationships between organisms at
the levels of the species and higher. These types of studies provide the basis
for understanding biodiversity and are the foundations for taxonomic research.
Phylogenetics is the study of evolutionary relationships and descent with
modification, or character evolution.
In general my interest is in the evolutionary
relationships between groups of orchids and the evolution of the characters
which
differentiate one group from another. The orchid as a
taxonomic unit has had a long history dating from the Greeks some 2000 years ago
(Reinikka and Romero, 1995), yet is probably one of the least understood
families beyond the floristic studies of the Victorian orchidologists (Pridgeon
et al., 1999). The phylogeny of the Orchidaceae has undergone a number of
revisions since it was first classified by Swartz (1800; 1805) and more
completely by Lindley (1830- 40), Schlechter (1911), and later by Garay (1960),
and Dressler (1993; Dressler and Dodson ,1960). The Dressler (1993)
classification is one of the most comprehensive classifications to date, however
as with all these classifications, it relied heavily on vegetative and floral
morphology which can express considerable convergence due to ecological
selection (Pridgeon et al., 1999), and often these taxonomies were based on a
few so-called key characters (Chase et al., 2001).
Using the modern methods of
Cladistics, the Orchidaceae
is resolved as natural group or a monophyly in all analyses. Of these
findings, many support much of the traditional taxonomy of at the family and
subfamily, but at lower levels some relationships remain unresolved. As
currently recognized there are 5 subfamilies within the Orchidaceae: Apostasioideae, Cypripedioideae, Vanniloideae, Orchidoideae and the
Epidendroideae (Cameron et al., 1999; Chase et al., 2001). The subfamily
Epidendroideae includes 75-80% of the species. In analyses among the
lower Epidendroids, clades of primitive taxa, which have a lot of the
characteristics of the outgroup and some apomorphic traits, often lack
sufficient synapomorphies for establishing relationships, and as a result,
resolution among these taxa is poor (Rasmussen, 2000).
For my research I am am interested in
phylogenetic and biogeographic relationships among the genera and species
of the orchid tribe Triphoreae, as well as aspects
of the pollination biology of one species Triphora trainthophora.
I am also interested the evolution of
mycotrophy in orchids. Orchids as a family consistently use an alternate nutritional
strategy during at least some point in their life cycle; during this period they are
parasitic on fungi (Rasmussen, 1995). For many species, this may only be for a
period beginning just after germination and extending for an unspecified length
of time. For most terrestrial species of orchids, this alternative nutritional
strategy may help to compensate for the lower light levels encountered on the
forest floor and is a condition often extended for the life of the adult plant
or renewed annually depending upon ambient environmental conditions (for further
discussions see Rasmussen [1995]). Current research using molecular techniques
have begun to elucidate the type of fungi found in this association. All of the
fungi identified thus far belong to the form genus Rhizoctonia
in the class Basidiomyetes (Basidiomycota). Members found in association with
orchids are primarily of the orders Certobasidiales, Exidiales, and
Tulasnellales. In addition, the form genus Rhizoctonia has a
number of cosmopolitan genera between the three primary orders. The few
successful cultures of orchid fungi to produce telomorphs ( sexual structures)
have been identified to the genera Sebacina, Epulorhiza,
Ceratobasidium, Thanatephorous, Oliveonia, Serendipita,
and Tulasnella, however specific relationships remain speculative
(Roberts, 1999)
Selected literature
cited
CAMERON, K. M., M. W. CHASE, W. M. WHITTEN, P. J. KORES, D. C. JARRELL, V. A.
ALBERT, T. YUKAWA, H. G. HILLS, AND D. H. GOLDMAN. 1999. A phylogenetic analysis
of the Orchidaceae: evidence from rbcL nucleotide sequences. American Journal
of Botany 86: 208.
CHASE, M. W., J. V. FREUDENSTEIN, AND K. M. CAMERON. 2001. In press. DNA data
and Orchidaceae systematics: A new phylogenetic classification. in
Proceedings of the conference for orchid conservation.
DRESSLER, R. L. 1981. The orchids: natural history and classification.
Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Mass.
----- 1993. Phylogeny and Classification of the Orchid Family.
Dioscorides Press, Portland, OR.
DRESSLER, R. L. AND C. H. DODSON. 1960. Classification and Phylogeny in the
Orchidaceae. Annals of the Missouri Botanical Gardens 47: 25-68.
GARAY, L. A. 1960. On the Origin of the Orchidaceae. Botanical Museum
Leaflets 19: 57-96.
PRIDGEON, A. M., P. J. CRIBB, M. W. CHASE, AND F. N. RASMUSSEN 1999.
Genera Orchidacearum Vol. I: General Introduction, Apostasiodeae,
Cypripedioideae. Oxford Press.
RASMUSSEN, F. N. 2000. Ins and outs of orchid phylogeny. In K. L. Wilson and
D. A. Morrison [eds.], Monocots: Systematics and Evolution 430-435.
CSIRO, Melbourne.
RASMUSSEN, H. N. 1995. Terrestrial orchids from seed to mycotrophic plant.
Cambridge University Press, Melbourne, Australia.
REINIKKA, M. A. AND G. A. ROMERO 1995. A History of the orchid. Timber
Press, INC., Portland, OR.
ROBERTS, P. 1999. Rhizonctonia-forming Fungi. The Trustees of the Royal
Botanical Gardens, Kew, London.
SCHLECHTER, R. 1911. Die Orchidaceen von Deutsch Neu Guinea. English
translation. Repertorium specierum novarum regni vegetablis.Beihefte 1:
43-5
3.
Curriculum Vitae
Academics
Sept. 2000- present . Ph.D. Department of
Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, The Ohio State University,
Columbus OH. Dissertation research: The Systematics of
the Triphoreae (Orchidaceae: Epidendroideae).
Sept.1997 –Jun. 2000. M.Sc. Biology, Department of Biology, DePaul
University, Chicago IL. Thesis research:
Characterization
of breeding habitat usage of Peregrine Falcon, Falco peregrinus, by use of
stable isotope analysis: Implications for continued conservation.
Sept. 1994 -Jun. 1997. B.Sc. Department of Biology, DePaul University,
Chicago IL.
Professional Experience
Jun. 1996 – Jun. 2000. Intern, Field Museum of Natural History,
Chicago, IL. Studied allopatric differentiation in three species of birds
introduced into Miami, Florida. Also performed work on the geographic variation
of the spot-breasted Oriole (Icterus pectoralis) in the pacific lowlands of
Central America.
Apr. 1999- Jun. 1999. Migrant Bird Survey, Perkins Woods, Evanston,
IL. Worked with Dr. Dennis Meritt on a migrant census of 7.8-acre park in a
suburban setting. Duties consisted of mist-net capture, identification, banding,
and release.
Mar. 1994. Volunteer, Rapid Assessment Project, Boy Scouts of America,
Firelands Area Council, Lorain, OH. A census of the species was performed and
presented for analysis by local conservation biologists for the theoretical
effects of fragmentation on the region.
Teaching Experience
Jan. 2002- present. Graduate Teaching Associate: General Biology 100.
Introductory Biology Program, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH. Duties
include lab lectures, administration and evaluation of course tests and lab
reports, the preparation, organization, execution of labs.
Mar. 2001- Dec. 2001.Graduate Teaching Associate: Evolution 400.
Department of Evolution, Ecology, Organismal Biology, The Ohio State University,
Columbus, OH. Duties included lab lectures, the preparation and organization of
labs, and the creation and administration of quizzes, lab practicums, and course
tests.
Jan. 2001- Mar. 2001.Graduate Teaching Associate: Plant Biology 102.
Department of Plant Biology. The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH. Duties
included lab lectures, administration and evaluation of course tests and lab
reports, the preparation, organization, execution of labs.
Jul. 1999- Jan. 2000.Teaching Assistant: Environmental Science 102.
Environmental Science Program, DePaul University, Chicago, IL. Duties included
class and lab lectures, administration and evaluation of course tests and lab
reports, the preparation, organization, execution of labs.
Apr.1998- Jun. 2000. Teaching Assistant: Ecology 215, General Biology
102, Aquatic Biology 317/417. Department of Biology, DePaul University, Chicago,
IL. Duties included lab lectures, the preparation and organization of labs, and
the creation and administration of quizzes, lab practicums, and course tests.
Jan. 1996 - Mar. 1997. Biology Tutor, Sports Department, DePaul
University, Chicago, IL. Tutored ecology, general biology, genetics, anatomy,
cell biology, molecular biology, and physiology.
Publications/Manuscripts
Rothacker. Stable isotopic and morphometric characterization of Peregrine
migration with an emphasis on determining the importance of particular habitat
types. June 2000. MSc. Thesis. DePaul University, Chicago, IL.
Kharas, Karras, Michna, Grajzar, Karins, Rothacker, McManigal, and Watson.
Novel copolymers of halogen ring substituted 2-Phenyl-1,1-Dicyanoethylenes and
styrene. Polymer Preprints. Vol. 40:1 1999.
Posters and Presentations
"Stable isotopic and morphometric characterization of Peregrine migration
with an emphasis on determining the importance of particular habitat types."
Department of Biology, Graduate Student Exit Seminar Series. DePaul University,
Chicago, IL. Presentation: Rothacker, 2000.
"Characterization of breeding habitat usage of Peregrine Falcon, Falco
peregrinus, by use of stable isotope analysis." DePaul University Environmental
Science Symposium. Chicago, IL Presentation: Rothacker, 1999.
"Morphometric Differentiation in three species of birds introduced to Miami,
Florida". One hundred and fifteenth stated meeting of the American
Ornithologists’ Union, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn. Poster: Rothacker and Bates,
1997.
Societies and Affiliations
Botanical Society of North America,
Society for the Study of Evolution,
American
Society of Plant Taxonomists, Society of
Systematic Biologists, Hennig Society,
American Orchid Society.