Ph Raven

Biography

Raven's research accomplishments in the area of plant evolution have introduced new concepts and marked new research trends. He introduced to biology the concept of co-evolution, where two interdependent species evolve concert, as a response to their ecological interactions. Raven also developed the thesis that gene flow between populations of a species is at such low levels that gene migration is insufficient to maintain species cohesion. This thesis led to a major rethinking of the nature of biological species and to reshape current biological species concepts. Other work in evolutionary genetics includes studies of plate tectonics and their influence on biogeography and plant evolution, studies on the evolution of breeding systems, the origin of plastids symbiosis and the evolution of seed characters, to name a few. In the field of biosystematics, his pioneering studies of Onagracease have had a wide ranging, encompassing descriptions of new species, generic relaionships, the evolution of breeding systems, pollination biology and cytology.

Research Interest

Systematic Botany, Evolution, Conservation