Dr Louis Ronse De Craene
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Dr Louis Ronse De Craene, Director of the MSc course
Dr Louis Ronse De Craene (Doctorate Leuven, Belgium 1992) is a botanist, working at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh since 2002 as Director of the MSc Course in the Biodiversity and Taxonomy of Plants.
Main Research interests
y main research interests are centered on floral morphology, the evolution of flowers, and the use of floral characters in plant phylogeny. The last decades have seen great changes in our understanding of plant relationships based on molecular data. These changes represent an exciting opportunity to revisit morphology in a new framework of plant affinities and to link morphological studies with other research areas, such as evolutionary developmental genetics (evo-devo) and ecology. I am specialized in the study of floral development and anatomy, which are increasingly used as support for the molecular phylogeny in understanding the homology of characters for phylogenetic analyses and in the understanding of the underlying genetics of character expression. I am particularly interested in the study of floral morphology to clarify the homology of plant structures and the processes leading to floral form, including mechanical forces, pollinator preference, and epigenetic factors.
Through my earlier research I have acquired a broad expertise, which is becoming rare nowadays. My broad knowledge of flowering plants has enabled me to contribute actively to questions related to flowers and their evolution. Major questions I am currently interested in are the evolution of the flower in angiosperms, with special emphasis on the evolution of merism, the origin of the structural basis of core eudicot flowers (Pentapetalae) and monocots, and the origin and evolution of petals in angiosperms, particularly Caryophyllales. Current research interests cover diverse groups, such as Caryophyllales, Ranunculales, the Primuloid clade of Ericales, Rosaceae, Sapindaceae, Malpighiales (Ochnaceae and Euphorbiaceae), Alismatales, Zingiberaceae, Sabiaceae, and Cyperaceae. Ongoing projects have been set up in collaboration with researchers from RBGE and other institutions and several students are contributing to this research on a regular basis. Collaborations are ongoing with partners from following countries: Japan, Chile, Brazil, France, Germany, Thailand, China, Russia and Portugal.
The understanding of the flower and its evolution remains one of the most important topics in botanical research. Floral organ position and numbers are generally highly conservative in evolution and are important indicators of systematic relationships. In this age of molecular taxonomy it is important to revisit flower morphology, as it contains a wealth of information that can be better understood in the new framework of relationships. My book “Floral Diagrams”, published by Cambridge University Press in 2010, aims to contribute to a better understanding of structural aspects of flowers and will hopefully coincide a renaissance in the study of flowers. A second edition of the book is planned for 2021. I am also part of an active network for the promotion of floral studies (FLO-R-ES: https://flores-network.com/ (Bull-Hereñu et al. 2016).
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2020
1. Wang J-R, Wang X, Li Q-J, Su N, Zhang X-H, Ma Y-P, Zhao L, Ginefra Toni JF, Ronse De Craene LP (2020). Floral morphology and morphogenesis of Sanguisorba (Rosaceae): flower diversification despite petal loss and space constraints. Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society: in press.
2. Monteiro M.M., Oriani A., Ronse De Craene L., Demarco D. (2020) Spikelet morphology and floral development in species of Cyperoideae (Cyperaceae, Poales): Revisiting Cyperoideae spikelet types. Annals of Botany submitted.
3. Gagliardi KB, Demarco D, Thaowetsuwan P, Ronse De Craene LP, Cordeiro I, da Costa Vasconcelos TN, Riina R, Prenner G (2020). Morphology and evolution of inflorescences in the large genus Croton L. (Euphorbiaceae). Annals of Botany submitted.
4. Sinjushin A.A., Belyakova A.S., Choob V.V., Ronse De Craene L.P. (2020). What affects the stability of floral merism in Eudicots? A study of its causes. Journal of Plant Research: submitted.
5. Ronse De Craene L.P. (2020). Gynoecium structure and development in Caryophyllales. A matter of proportions. Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society submitted.
6. Bull-Hereñu K., Ronse de Craene L.P. (2020). Ontogenetic base for the variation of flowers in Malesherbia Ruiz & Pav. (Passifloraceae). Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution in press.
7. Iwamoto A., Ichigooka S., Cao L., Ronse De Craene L.P. (2020). Floral development reveals the existence of a fifth staminode on the labellum of basal Globbeae. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution in press.
8. Thaowetsuwan P., Ritchie S., Riina R., Ronse De Craene L.P. (2020). Divergent developmental pathways in dimorphic flowers of Croton L. (Euphorbiaceae) with special emphasis on petals. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution in press.
9. Wei L., Ronse De Craene L.P. (2020). Hofmeister’s rule’s paradox: the explanation of the changeable carpel position in Caryophyllaceae. International Journal of Plant Sciences submitted.
10. Goodwin Z.A., Stott G.L., Ronse De Craene L.P., Kay E., Lopez G.N., Haston E., Harris D.J. (2020). Belize and the RBGE: reflecting on 16 years of collaborative training. Edinburgh Journal of Botany in press.
2019
1. Cao Li-Min, Newman M., Kirchoff B., Ronse De Craene L.P. (2019). Develomental evidence helps resolve the evolutionary origins of anther appendages in Globba. Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society 189: 63-82.
2. Ronse De Craene L.P., Wei L. (2019). Floral development and anatomy of Macarthuria australis (Macarthuriaceae: key to understanding the unusual initiation sequence of Caryophyllales. Australian Systematic Botany 32: 49-60.
3. Wei L., Ronse De Craene L.P. (2019). What is the nature of petals in Caryophyllaceae? Developmental evidence clarifies their evolutionary origin. Annals of Botany 124: 281-295.
2018
1. Cao L., Liu J., Lin Q., Ronse De Craene L.P. (2018). The floral organogenesis of Koelreuteria bipinnata and its variety integrifoliola (Sapindaceae): Evidence of floral constraints on the evolution of monosymmetry. Plant Systematics and evolution 304: 923-935.
2. Ronse De Craene L.P. (2018). Understanding the role of floral development in the evolution of angiosperm flowers: a clarification from different perspectives. Journal of Plant Research 131: 367-393.
3. Iwamoto A., Nakamura A., Kurihara S., Ohtani A.,Ronse De Craene L.P. (2018). Floral development of petaloid Alismatales as an insight into the origin of the trimerous Bauplan in monocot flowers. Journal of Plant Research 131: 395-407.
4. Bull-Hereñu K., Ronse de Craene L.P., Pérez F. (2018). Floral meristem size and organ number correlation in Eucryphia Cav. (Cunoniaceae). Journal of Plant Research 131: 429-441.
5. Gong J, Li, Q., Wang X., Ma Y., Zhang X., Zhao L., Chang Z., Ronse De Craene L.P. (2018). Floral morphology and morphogenesis in Camptotheca (Nyssaceae), and its systematic significance. Annals of Botany 121: 1411-1425.
6. Cavalari de Paula O., Assis L., Ronse De Craene L.P. (2018). Unbuttoning the ancestral flower of angiosperms. Trends in Plant Science 23: 551-554.
7. Bull-Hereñu K., Ronse de Craene L.P. (2018). La atractiva variación floral de Malesherbia Ruiz & Pav. (Passifloraceae) en Chile. Revista Chagual 16: 26-34.
8. Bull-Hereñu K., Ronse de Craene L.P., Classen-Bockhoff R., Iwamoto A., El Ottra J.H.L., dos Santos P., Toni J.F.G., Thaowetsuwan P., Chinga J., Naulin P.I. (2018). Curso intesnivo de morfología floral de la red FLO-RE-S en la reserve nacional Río Clarillo. Revista Chagual 16: 70-76.
Qualifications:
- Honorary Fellow of the University of Edinburgh
- Guest Professor of Hengyang Normal University, China 2017-2022.
- Habilitation: Univ. Paris-Sud, France 2010.
- Doctor in Science: Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium 1992.
- MSc in Pure and Applied Plant Taxonomy: Reading, UK 1988.
- Licentiate in Plant Sciences: Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium 1985.
Employment:
- Director of the MSc Course in the Biodiversity and Taxonomy of Plants RBGE - University of Edinburgh (2002-): http://www.rbge.org.uk/msctaxonomy
- Postdoctoral Researcher Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (1993-2002)
- Research Assistant Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (1987-1993)
- Member of the Editorial Board of Plant Systematics and Evolution: http://www.springer.com/springerwiennewyork/life+sciences/journal/606
- Member of the Editorial Board of Flora: http://www.journals.elsevier.com/flora/
- Member of the Editorial Board of the Journal of Plant Research: https://link.springer.com/journal/10265
Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh,
20A Inverleith Row, EH3 5LR, UK.
Phone: +44(0)131 248 2804
Fax: +44(0)131 248 2901
E-mail: lronsedecraene@rbge.org.uk
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