Armen Takhtajan
Encyclopedia
Armen Leonovich Takhtajan or Takhtajian ( surname also transliterated Takhtadjan or Takhtadzhian) (June 10, 1910 – November 13, 2009), was a Soviet-Armenian
botanist, one of the most important figures in 20th century plant
evolution
and systematics
and biogeography
. His other interests included morphology
of flowering plant
s, paleobotany
, and the flora of the Caucasus
. He was born in Shusha
.
Takhtajan worked at the Komarov Botanical Institute
in Leningrad
, where he developed his 1940 classification scheme for flowering plant
s, which emphasized phylogenetic relationships between plants. His system did not become known to botanists in the West
until after 1950, and in the late 1950s he began a correspondence and collaboration with the prominent American botanist Arthur Cronquist
, whose plant classification scheme was heavily influenced by his collaboration with Takhtajan and other botanists at Komarov.
The "Takhtajan system
" of flowering plant classification treats flowering plants as a division (phylum), Magnoliophyta
, with two classes
, Magnoliopsida
(dicots) and Liliopsida
(monocots). These two classes are subdivided into subclasses, and then superorders, orders, and families. The Takhtajan system is similar to the Cronquist system
, but with somewhat greater complexity at the higher levels. He favors smaller orders and families, to allow character and evolutionary relationships to be more easily grasped. The Takhtajan classification system remains influential; it is used, for example, by the Montréal Botanical Garden.
Takhtajan also developed a system of floristic regions.
Takhtajan was a member of the Russian Academy of Sciences
, as well as a foreign associate of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences
since 1971. He was also the academician of the Academy of Sciences of the Armenian SSR, the president of the Soviet All-Union Botanical Society (1973) and the International Association for Plant Taxonomy (1975), member of the Finnish Academy of Science and Literature (1971), the German Academy of Naturalists "Leopoldina" (1972) and other scientific societies.
In 1932 he graduated from the Soviet (All-Union) Institute of Subtropical Crops (Tbilisi
). In 1938-48 he headed a Department at the Yerevan State University
, in 1944-48- director of the Botanical Institute of the Academy of Sciences of the Armenian SSR, Professor of the Leningrad State University. His an author of works on the origin of flowering and paleobotanics. He developed a system of higher plants. He worked on the "Flora of Armenia" (vol. 1-6, 1954-73) and "Fossil flowering plants of the USSR "(v. 1, 1974) books.
Armenians
Armenian people or Armenians are a nation and ethnic group native to the Armenian Highland.The largest concentration is in Armenia having a nearly-homogeneous population with 97.9% or 3,145,354 being ethnic Armenian....
botanist, one of the most important figures in 20th century plant
Plant
Plants are living organisms belonging to the kingdom Plantae. Precise definitions of the kingdom vary, but as the term is used here, plants include familiar organisms such as trees, flowers, herbs, bushes, grasses, vines, ferns, mosses, and green algae. The group is also called green plants or...
evolution
Evolution
Evolution is any change across successive generations in the heritable characteristics of biological populations. Evolutionary processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organisation, including species, individual organisms and molecules such as DNA and proteins.Life on Earth...
and systematics
Plant taxonomy
Plant taxonomy is the science that finds, describes, classifies, identifies, and names plants. It thus is one of the main branches of taxonomy.Plant taxonomy is closely allied to plant systematics, and there is no sharp boundary between the two...
and biogeography
Biogeography
Biogeography is the study of the distribution of species , organisms, and ecosystems in space and through geological time. Organisms and biological communities vary in a highly regular fashion along geographic gradients of latitude, elevation, isolation and habitat area...
. His other interests included morphology
Morphology (biology)
In biology, morphology is a branch of bioscience dealing with the study of the form and structure of organisms and their specific structural features....
of flowering plant
Flowering plant
The flowering plants , also known as Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta, are the most diverse group of land plants. Angiosperms are seed-producing plants like the gymnosperms and can be distinguished from the gymnosperms by a series of synapomorphies...
s, paleobotany
Paleobotany
Paleobotany, also spelled as palaeobotany , is the branch of paleontology or paleobiology dealing with the recovery and identification of plant remains from geological contexts, and their use for the biological reconstruction of past environments , and both the evolutionary history of plants, with a...
, and the flora of the Caucasus
Caucasus
The Caucasus, also Caucas or Caucasia , is a geopolitical region at the border of Europe and Asia, and situated between the Black and the Caspian sea...
. He was born in Shusha
Shusha
Shusha , also known as Shushi is a town in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh in the South Caucasus. It has been under the control of the self-proclaimed Nagorno-Karabakh Republic since its capture in 1992 during the Nagorno-Karabakh War...
.
Takhtajan worked at the Komarov Botanical Institute
Komarov Botanical Institute
The Komarov Botanical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences is a leading botanical institution in Russia, It is located on Aptekarsky Island in St. Petersburg, and is named after the Russian botanist Vladimir Leontyevich Komarov...
in Leningrad
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
, where he developed his 1940 classification scheme for flowering plant
Flowering plant
The flowering plants , also known as Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta, are the most diverse group of land plants. Angiosperms are seed-producing plants like the gymnosperms and can be distinguished from the gymnosperms by a series of synapomorphies...
s, which emphasized phylogenetic relationships between plants. His system did not become known to botanists in the West
Western world
The Western world, also known as the West and the Occident , is a term referring to the countries of Western Europe , the countries of the Americas, as well all countries of Northern and Central Europe, Australia and New Zealand...
until after 1950, and in the late 1950s he began a correspondence and collaboration with the prominent American botanist Arthur Cronquist
Arthur Cronquist
Arthur John Cronquist was a North American botanist and a specialist on Compositae. He is considered one of the most influential botanists of the 20th century, largely due to his formulation of the Cronquist system. Two plant genera in the aster family have been named in his honor...
, whose plant classification scheme was heavily influenced by his collaboration with Takhtajan and other botanists at Komarov.
The "Takhtajan system
Takhtajan system
A system of plant taxonomy, the Takhtajan system of plant classification was published by Armen Takhtajan, in several versions from the 1950s onwards. It is usually compared to the Cronquist system. Key publications:-External links:* Takhtajan system at...
" of flowering plant classification treats flowering plants as a division (phylum), Magnoliophyta
Flowering plant
The flowering plants , also known as Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta, are the most diverse group of land plants. Angiosperms are seed-producing plants like the gymnosperms and can be distinguished from the gymnosperms by a series of synapomorphies...
, with two classes
Class (biology)
In biological classification, class is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, order, family, genus, and species, with class fitting between phylum and order...
, Magnoliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Magnoliopsida is a valid botanical name for a class of flowering plants. By definition the class will include the family Magnoliaceae, but its circumscription can otherwise vary, being more inclusive or less inclusive depending upon the classification system being discussed.-Cronquist and...
(dicots) and Liliopsida
Liliopsida
Liliopsida is a botanical name for the class containing the family Liliaceae . It is considered synonymous with the name monocotyledon. Publication of the name is credited to Scopoli : see author citation...
(monocots). These two classes are subdivided into subclasses, and then superorders, orders, and families. The Takhtajan system is similar to the Cronquist system
Cronquist system
The Cronquist system is a taxonomic classification system of flowering plants. It was developed by Arthur Cronquist in his texts An Integrated System of Classification of Flowering Plants and The Evolution and Classification of Flowering Plants .Cronquist's system places flowering plants into two...
, but with somewhat greater complexity at the higher levels. He favors smaller orders and families, to allow character and evolutionary relationships to be more easily grasped. The Takhtajan classification system remains influential; it is used, for example, by the Montréal Botanical Garden.
Takhtajan also developed a system of floristic regions.
Takhtajan was a member of the Russian Academy of Sciences
Russian Academy of Sciences
The Russian Academy of Sciences consists of the national academy of Russia and a network of scientific research institutes from across the Russian Federation as well as auxiliary scientific and social units like libraries, publishers and hospitals....
, as well as a foreign associate of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences
United States National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences is a corporation in the United States whose members serve pro bono as "advisers to the nation on science, engineering, and medicine." As a national academy, new members of the organization are elected annually by current members, based on their distinguished and...
since 1971. He was also the academician of the Academy of Sciences of the Armenian SSR, the president of the Soviet All-Union Botanical Society (1973) and the International Association for Plant Taxonomy (1975), member of the Finnish Academy of Science and Literature (1971), the German Academy of Naturalists "Leopoldina" (1972) and other scientific societies.
In 1932 he graduated from the Soviet (All-Union) Institute of Subtropical Crops (Tbilisi
Tbilisi
Tbilisi is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Mt'k'vari River. The name is derived from an early Georgian form T'pilisi and it was officially known as Tiflis until 1936...
). In 1938-48 he headed a Department at the Yerevan State University
Yerevan State University
Yerevan State University is a university in Yerevan, Armenia. Founded on May 16 1919, it is the largest university in the country with 110 departments. Of its 3,150 employees, 1,190 comprise the teaching staff which includes 25 academicians, 130 professors, 700 docents , and 360 assistant lecturers...
, in 1944-48- director of the Botanical Institute of the Academy of Sciences of the Armenian SSR, Professor of the Leningrad State University. His an author of works on the origin of flowering and paleobotanics. He developed a system of higher plants. He worked on the "Flora of Armenia" (vol. 1-6, 1954-73) and "Fossil flowering plants of the USSR "(v. 1, 1974) books.
Selected works
- A. Takhtajan (1967). Система и филогения цветкорых растений (Systema et Phylogenia Magnoliophytorum). Moscow: Nauka.
- A. Takhtajan, Th.J. Crovello and A. CronquistArthur CronquistArthur John Cronquist was a North American botanist and a specialist on Compositae. He is considered one of the most influential botanists of the 20th century, largely due to his formulation of the Cronquist system. Two plant genera in the aster family have been named in his honor...
(1986). Floristic Regions of the World. - A. Takhtajan (1991). "Evolutionary Trends in Flowering Plants
- A. Takhtajan (1997) Diversity and Classification of Flowering Plants
- A. Takhtajan (2009). Flowering Plants. Springer Verlag.
External links
- Takhtajian in Great Soviet Encyclopedia
- The parting with Armen Takhtajan. Photo-report on the site of the Komarov Botanical Institute.