In this book, Renaud Fortuner brings together a group of leading authorities to explore the application of artificial intelligence and other modern computer methods to that branch of biology known as systematics - the field of study aimed at identifying and classifying organisms and reconstructing their evolutionary relationships. The book begins with an overview of artificial intelligence and its applications in biology and medicine. Subsequent chapters then focus on four main areas of computer applications to systematics: methods of phylogenetic reconstruction; identification of biological specimens through computerized "reasoning paths" known as "expert systems"; the use of databases; and machine vision, that is, the computerized recording and analysis of the physical features of organisms. The sections are prefaced by tutorial chapters presenting current problems in systematics along with possible computer solutions. Based on the 1990 AR TISYST conference sponsored by the National Science Foundation, with recommendations for future funding, the volume is both a comprehensive treatmetn of state-of-the-art research in computer science and systematic biology and a practical guide for specialists in either field who are considering possible collaboration.
