Information Technology, Plant Pathology and Biodiversity

Information technology is revolutionizing the handling of biological information. The British Society for Plant Pathology (BSPP) has been at the forefront of several initiatives in handling information electronically, while the Systematics Association has a long-standing involvement in computer-based species identification. BSPP and the Systematics Association recognised the opportunity to join forces and develop a combined program for a conference on these themes, held in December 1996, at the University of Kent at Canterbury. This book presents 40 edited and revised papers from that conference. The topics covered are wide-ranging and focus on several themes. There are papers on subjects as diverse as biological databases, geographic information systems, probabilistic identification systems and electronic teaching aids. Written by authors from Europe, North and Central America, China, India and New Zealand, the book provides an essential review for plant pathologists and taxonomists, as well as other biologists wishing to keep up with the information revolution.