The Angiosperm Phylogeny Website - a tool for reference and teaching in atime of change

摘要

Repositories of biological information should include up-to-date, cumulative research as well as addressrnissues affecting the scholarly community at-large. Because of the dynamic and interdisciplinary nature ofrnresearch in today's biological "infosphere," it is becoming increasingly difficult to produce stable andrnuseful monographic treatments with the timeliness and impact that biodiversity issues deserve.rnThe Angiosperm Phylogeny Website ("APweb") is a biological information resource that has had farreachingrnimpact in the botanical community. The APweb represents a culmination of informationrndeveloped by botanical researchers, presented in a user-friendly, hierarchical and intuitive format meantrnfor all levels of interest in the botanical sciences. It is innovative in its field in that the content is dynamic,rnreflecting up-to-date research in the evolutionary relationships of flowering plants.rnThis poster will discuss the significance, use and function of the APweb in its role as a teaching andrnreference tool as well as design, collaboration and technical issues encountered in its development. Ofrnparticular relevance to library and information science practitioners, the APweb may serve as an examplernof how a simple design can be used to present a wealth of information for plant bioinformatics andrneducation.