Vince Smith

My research interests include host-parasite cophylogeny, phylogenetic inference, supertrees, DNA Barcoding, RNA secondary structure and evolution, and louse phylogeny. I am involved in the development of various digital tools to facilitate this research.

Host Parasite Cophylogeny:
Central to my empirical studies are ectoparasitic lice (Insecta: Phthiraptera). These parasites are present on most birds and mammals. Passed like heirlooms from one host generation to the next, lice track their hosts' evolutionary history, offering a unique opportunity to test explanations about the diversification and transfer of different parasite faunas.

Web Databases/Resources:
With Simon Rycroft, David Reed, and Rod Page I am involved in developing online web databases supporting systematic/taxonomic research. Current projects include online image, and specimen databases.

Recent News/Publications:

DNA Barcoding
The proceedings from a debate I chaired on DNA barcoding have now been published in Systematic Biology. This session was convened as part of the fifth PEET conference hosted by the University of Illinois between 20–23 September, 2004. The articles include a brief contextual piece written by me, followed by papers outlining the arguments for and against DNA barcoding led by Paul Hebert and Kip Will. You can find more details on the debate here, or watch the full symposium as a streaming video (Windows Media Player required). Oct. '05.

BioCorder
The developer’s site for BioCorder (short for Biodiversity Recorder) is now established at www.biocorder.org. This is a 3 year NSF funded project I co-wrote with David Reed to develop a distributed web based framework that will facilitate the storage, integration, and discovery of phylogenetic and biodiversity data. Working with Mark Hafner, Greg Mullane, Rod Page, David Reed and Simon Rycroft, we will rewrite our independent web-based databases and integrate XML/SOAP based web services to create a knowledge base for Tree-of-Life type research projects. Visit the developer’s site for more information. May. '05.

"The record of our past is written in our parasites..."
Some head lice infesting people today were probably spread to us thousands of years ago by an extinct species of early human. In a study published in PLoS - Biology we compare the evolutionary history of parasitic lice with that of humans and their primate ancestors to show that when our ancestors left Africa less than 100,000 years ago, they made direct contact with tribes of "archaic" peoples, probably in Asia. Read the full story here, or access some of the media coverage of this story as a compilation of PDF files. Oct. '04.

Species co-extinction: till death do us part?
Of the 12,200 species of plants and animals currently listed as threatened or endangered, a further 6,300 affiliate species should be classified as “co-endangered”. This is the bleak assessment offered in our paper published in Science that attempts to quantify the phenomenon of co-extinction. Read more here or access some articles written by the 70+ news organisations that covered this paper here. Sept '04.

Flying lice!
Molecular evolution is questioning the way we think about the evolution of complex traits. New data shows that parasitic lice evolved twice independently from a non-parasitic bark louse ancestor. A redefined group includes members with wings, raising the intriguing possibility of flying lice. May '04.

Fossil louse reveals last meal!
An exceptionally preserved fossil louse from the Eocene of Germany shows that birds have been infested with parasitic insects for at least the last 44 million years. Read the full story here, or check the BBC news coverage of this story at BBC News Online. March '04.

SID - New Image Database Tool
SID is a searchable database tool for serving high-resolution images used in phylogenetic and biodiversity research. Developed with Simon Rycroft, SID functions as an all purpose image database for biological specimens. Features include: web upload/download of images, bulk and single image annotation, extensive browse and search options, web service facility, label utility, taxonomic name validation, and many more... Jan. '04.

Glasgow Taxonomy Name Server
Developed by Rod Page, this server is used as a tool for serving, validating and comparing biological classifications. This is not intended to compete with other name servers such as ITIS, GBIF or uBio, but act as a development tool and web service for databases we have developed that require a validated taxonomy. Now with support for Walrus. Sept. '03.

www.Phthiraptera.org
"Phthiraptera Central" A new website dedicated to sharing and advancing knowledge on lice. Two new mailing lists have been set up for the dissemination of information to individuals interested in the systematics, biology, control, and public health issues relating to chewing and sucking lice. See the web site for details. Aug. '02.

We need your lice...
Can you help? We are currently collecting mammal and bird lice and need help collecting specimens. If you think you can help, click here for details.