Professor of Botany & Director, WIS State Herbarium
Ph.D. (1996) University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
608-265-9237
kmcameron@wisc.edu
My primary research interests focus on the systematics, evolution, structure, and conservation of orchids (Orchidaceae) based on studies carried out in the field, herbarium, library, and laboratory. Collaborating with an international group of scientists and students, I continue to use gene sequence data to reconstruct the phylogenetic history of orchids with the ultimate goal of producing a robust and stable system of classification for this diverse and charismatic family. My work has contributed extensively to our knowledge of the anatomy, life history, ecology, physiology, and evolution of Orchidaceae, but I consider myself a specialist, in particular, on the orchid subfamily Vanilloideae. This ancient clade includes the only orchid of agricultural value, Vanilla, and is pivitol to the study of orchid evolution since several taxa are partially or fully mycoheterotrophic and can no longer photosynthesize on their own.
In addition to orchids, I have published studies on the systematics, biogeography, character evolution, and classification of other equally fascinating plant groups such as Smilacaceae, Malpighiaceae, Cactaceae, Droseraceae, and Lentibulariaceae. My fieldwork has taken me from Mexico to Ecuador, from Tasmania to Borneo, and from China to New Caledonia, but some of the most memorable plant collecting trips have taken place right here in the United States. I am passionate about all aspects of plant biology, and eager to share that passion with fellow scientists, students, and the public alike.
I usually teach General Botany (Botany 130) during the Fall semester of odd years (e.g., Fall 2011) and Principles of Plant Structure (Botany 305) during the Spring semester of odd years. I also co-teach the graduate level Plant Systematics & Evolution Seminar (Botany 940) and supervise hard working undergraduate research scholars in my lab as Directed Study (Botany 699) students each semester.
SELECT PUBLICATIONS:
Orchidaceae
Cameron, K., J. Arditti, and T. Kull (editors). 2007. Orchid Biology Reviews and Perspectives, Vol. 9. The New York Botanical Garden Press, Bronx, New York.
Cameron, K. 2006. A comparison of plastid atpB and rbcL gene sequences for inferring phylogenetic relationships within Orchidaceae. pp. 447-464. In J. T. Columbus, E. A. Friar, J. M. Porter, L. M. Prince, and M. G. Simpson [eds.]. Monocots: comparative biology and evolution, 2 vols. Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden, Claremont, California, USA.
Cameron, K. and M. Carmen Molina. 2006. Photosystem II gene sequences of psbB and psbC clarify the phylogenetic position of Vanilla (Vanilloideae, Orchidaceae). Cladistics 22: 239-248..
Cameron, K. M. 2005. Orchidaceae [27 generic treatments in Spanish]. In: P. Sklena, J. L. Luteyn, C. U. Ulloa, P. M. Jorgensen, and M. O. Dillon (co-authors), Flora Generica de los Paramos: Guia Illustrada de las Plantas Vasculares, pp. 333-352. Memoirs of The New York Botanical Garden Vol. 92, The New York Botanical Garden Press, New York.
Cameron, K. 2005. Leave it to the leaves: a molecular phylogenetic study of Malaxideae (Orchidaceae). American Journal of Botany 92(6): 1025-1032.
Cameron, K. 2003. Vanilloideae [15 generic treatments]. In A. Pridgeon, P. Cribb, M. Chase, and F. Rasmussen (eds.), Genera Orchidacearum vol 3, Oxford University Press, Oxford.
Cameron, K. M. 2004. Utility of plastid psaB gene sequences for investigating intrafamilial relationships within Orchidaceae. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 31: 1157-1180.
Chase, M. W., J. F. Freudenstein, and K. M. Cameron. 2003. DNA Data and Orchidaceae systematics: a new phylogenetic classification. Pages 69-89 In: K. W. Dixon, S. P. Kell, R. L. Barrett, & P. J. Cribb (eds.), Orchid Conservation. Natural History Publications, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.
Cameron, K. and M. Chase. 1999. Phylogenetic relationships of Pogoniinae (Vanilloideae, Orchidaceae): an herbaceous example of the eastern North America-eastern Asia phytogeographic disjunction. Journal of Plant Research 112: 317-329.
Cameron, K., M. Chase, M. Whitten, P. Kores, D. Jarrell, V. Albert, T. Yukawa, H. Hills, and D. Goldman. 1999. A phylogenetic analysis of the Orchidaceae: evidence from rbcL nucleotide sequences. American Journal of Botany 86: 208-224.
Cameron, K. and W. Dickison. 1998. Foliar architecture of vanilloid orchids: insights into the evolution of reticulate leaf venation in monocotyledons. Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society 128: 45-70.
Smilacaceae
Cameron, K. and C. Fu. 2006. A nuclear rDNA phylogeny of Smilax (Smilacaceae). Pp. 598-605. In J. T. Columbus, E. A. Friar, J. M. Porter, L. M. Prince, and M. G. Simpson [eds.]. Monocots: comparative biology and evolution, 2 vols. Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden, Claremont, California, USA.
Chen, S.-C. Y.-X. Qiu, A.-L. Wang, K. M. Cameron, and C.-X. Fu. 2006. A phylogenetic analysis of the Smilacaceae based on morphological data. Acta Phytotaxonomica Sinica 44: 113-125.
Fu, C., H. Kong, Y. Qiu and K. Cameron. 2005. A molecular phylogenetic study of the herbaceous, east asian-north american disjunct species of Smilax sect. Nemexia (Smilacaceae). International Journal of Plant Sciences 166(2): 301-309.
Cacti & Succulents
Arias, S.,T. Terrazas, H. J. Arreola-Nava, M.Vazquez-Sanchez, and K. M. Cameron. 2005. Phylogenetic relationships in Peniocereus (Cactaceae) inferred from plastid DNA sequence data. Journal of Plant Research 118: 317-328.
Acevedo-Rosas, R., K. Cameron, V. Sosa, and S. Pell. 2004. A molecular phylogenetic study of Graptopetalum (Crassulaceae) based on ETS, ITS, rpl16 and trnL-F nucleotide sequences. American Journal of Botany 91: 1099-1104.
Arias, S., T. Terrazas, and K. Cameron. 2003. Phylogenetic analysis of Pachycereus (Cactaceae, Pachycereeae) based on chloroplast and nuclear DNA data. Systematic Botany 28: 547-557.
Carnivorous Plants
Jobson, R., J. Playford, K. Cameron, and V. Albert. 2003. Molecular phylogenetics of Lentibulariaceae inferred from plastid rps16 intron and trnL-F DNA sequences: implications for character evolution and biogeography. Systematic Botany 28: 157-171.
Cameron, K., K. Wurdack, and R. Jobson. 2002. Aldrovanda is sister to Dionaea: molecular evidence for the common origin of snap-traps among carnivorous plants. American Journal of Botany 89: 1503-1509. [featured as a "News of the Week" story in Pennisi, E. 2002. Elaborate carnivores prove to be kin. Science 297: 1626.]
Other
Fine, P., D. Daly, F. G. Villa M., Y Mesones A., and K. Cameron. 2005. The contribution of edaphic heterogeneity to the evolution and diversity of Burseraceae trees in the western amazon. Evolution 59: 1464-1478.
Cameron, K., M. Chase, W. Anderson, and H. Hills. 2001. Molecular Systematics of Malpighiaceae: evidence from plastid rbcL and matK sequences. American Journal of Botany 88: 1847-1862.
Cameron, K. 2002 [April 2003]. On the phylogenetic position of the New Caledonian endemic families Strasbergeriaceae, Oncothecaceae, and Paracryphiaceae: a comparison of molecules and morphology. The Botanical Review 68(4): 428-443.
Cameron, K., M. Chase, and P. Rudall. 2003. Re-circumscription of the monocotyledonous family Petrosaviaceae to include Japonolirion. Brittonia 55(2): 211-222.