Warren H. Wagner
Encyclopedia
Warren H. Wagner Jr. known as Herb Wagner, from his middle name, "Herbert," was an eminent American botanist who lived in Michigan
. A longtime faculty member at the University of Michigan
(Ann Arbor), he developed, in the early 1960s, the first algorithm for discerning phylogenetic relationships among species based upon their respective character states observed over a set of characters. This work was honored by James Farris and Arnold Kluge in their later appellation of related algorithms as "Wagner parsimony
."
Wagner specialized in the fern
s, especially the Botrychiaceae
. The standard botanical author abbreviation W.H.Wagner is applied to species
he described.
Apparently among modern phylogenetic systematists, Wagner is alone in having been mentioned in a Hollywood film (A New Leaf
, starring Elaine May
and Walter Matthau
).
Note: not to be confused with the American botanist Warren L. Wagner (1950- ).
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. A longtime faculty member at the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
(Ann Arbor), he developed, in the early 1960s, the first algorithm for discerning phylogenetic relationships among species based upon their respective character states observed over a set of characters. This work was honored by James Farris and Arnold Kluge in their later appellation of related algorithms as "Wagner parsimony
Maximum parsimony
Parsimony is a non-parametric statistical method commonly used in computational phylogenetics for estimating phylogenies. Under parsimony, the preferred phylogenetic tree is the tree that requires the least evolutionary change to explain some observed data....
."
Wagner specialized in the fern
Fern
A fern is any one of a group of about 12,000 species of plants belonging to the botanical group known as Pteridophyta. Unlike mosses, they have xylem and phloem . They have stems, leaves, and roots like other vascular plants...
s, especially the Botrychiaceae
Botrychiaceae
Botrychiaceae is a segregate family of ferns. The family includes the genera Botrychium , Botrypus , and Sceptridium...
. The standard botanical author abbreviation W.H.Wagner is applied to species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
he described.
Apparently among modern phylogenetic systematists, Wagner is alone in having been mentioned in a Hollywood film (A New Leaf
A New Leaf
A New Leaf is a dark comedy film based on the short story The Green Heart by Jack Ritchie, starring Elaine May, Walter Matthau, George Rose and James Coco. Better known for her collaboration as a stage comedienne with The Graduate director Mike Nichols, May also wrote and directed . For this film...
, starring Elaine May
Elaine May
Elaine May is an American film director, screenwriter and actress. She achieved her greatest fame in the 1950s from her improvisational comedy routines in partnership with Mike Nichols...
and Walter Matthau
Walter Matthau
Walter Matthau was an American actor best known for his role as Oscar Madison in The Odd Couple and his frequent collaborations with Odd Couple star Jack Lemmon, as well as his role as Coach Buttermaker in the 1976 comedy The Bad News Bears...
).
Note: not to be confused with the American botanist Warren L. Wagner (1950- ).