Mark W. Bierner
Mark Bierner received his B.A. in Botany and Ph.D. in Systematic Botany from the University of Texas at Austin. Courses he has taught include Introductory Biology, Introductory Botany, Plants and Our World, Native Plants, Local Flora, Cell Biology, Evolution and Genetics, Genetics, Systematic Botany, Biochemical Systematics, and Special Topics in Systematics. He also introduced a new course at The University of Texas entitled Plants, Environment, and Human Affairs, which he taught at the main campus in Austin and also in Sevilla, Spain.
Dr. Bierner’s research focuses on phylogenetic and systematic studies of flowering plants, in particular members of subtribes Gaillardiinae and Tetraneurinae of the sunflower family, Asteraceae. Dr. Bierner uses data from morphologic, cytologic and molecular studies to define the taxonomic units within these subtribes (i.e., genera, subgenera, sections, subsections, species, subspecies, varieties) and to better understand their evolutionary histories and present-day relationships. He is currently working on treatments of several genera for the Jepson Manual of Plants of California.
In addition, Dr. Bierner leads a collaborative effort to produce a comprehensive treatment of the legume family (Fabaceae) in Arizona. Legumes of Arizona – An Illustrated Flora and Reference will serve the needs of many groups including, but not limited to, farmers, horticulturists, landscapers, homeowners, botanists, herbalists, pharmacognosists, and a wide variety of plant researchers. As we search for new food crops, native plants for the horticulture industry, medicinally useful plants, plant oils and fibers, and even new technologies for fixing atmospheric nitrogen, this legume flora and reference will serve as an invaluable resource. It can, in fact, become a guide for informed selection of legume plants with the greatest potential for success in the desired endeavor, from agriculture to the search for new drugs.
