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InterViews
Barbara Schaal
evolutionary biology
(recorded in 2005)
 Listen to the interview(mp3, 58mb)
(1 hour, 2 minutes)
 Dr. Barbara Schaal's career as a leading evolutionary biologist began with a youthful fascination with plants. Currently the Mary-Dell Chilton Distinguished Professor at Washington University, she is recognized for her work on the genetics of plant species, particularly for her studies that use DNA sequences to understand evolutionary processes such as gene flow, geographical differentiation, and the domestication of crop species.
Born in Berlin, Germany, Dr. Schaal grew up in Chicago, graduated from the University of Illinois, Chicago with a degree in biology, and earned her doctorate from Yale University in 1974. She was on the faculty of the University of Houston and The Ohio State University before joining Washington University in 1980. Schaal has been president of the Botanical Society of America and president of the Society for the Study of Evolution. In 2005 Dr. Schaal became the first woman elected to the vice presidency of the National Academy of Sciences.
Listen to the Interview using RealPlayer (requires free RealPlayer software):
TRACK 1: Camping With Prairie Wildflowers
As with many biologists, Dr. Schaal's career stemmed from a childhood interest; on family camping trips she picked and classified plants and learned about natural communities. While doing graduate study at Yale she became interested in population genetics of native plant species, studying the prairie plant Liatris. She talks about the decline of native prairie areas, lamenting the loss of these populations and noting recent efforts to preserve native plants and communities. She also notes that we are in a period of massive extinction due to human actions and that we are losing species that haven't yet been identified. (12 minutes)
TRACK 2: A Phone Call About Cassava
After concluding her discussion of species loss, Dr. Schaal discusses her postdoctoral work on population genetics and ecological studies on Texas native plants. She talks about her current work with a joint program between Washington University and the Missouri Botanical Garden in which graduate students are encouraged to pursue their own interests, leading to studies across a wide range of plant biology topics. A fortuitous phone call led her to the study of cassava, and changed her focus from native plants to cultivated plants and to the question of whether domestication of a food plant occurs once or multiple times. (9 minutes)
TRACK 3: Genetically Modified Foods
Dr. Schaal discusses wild rice domestication and cultivation in Southeast Asia. She explains the uses of genetic material to compare varieties of rice across areas and across time. This leads to a discussion of genetically modified (GM) crops and their potential environmental impact and the opportunities they present. (12 minutes)
TRACK 4: Troublesome Species: Invasive Rice and Salt Cedar
Dr. Schaal continues to examine issues surrounding GM crops, including risks from allergens, the debate between international development organizations and environmentalists about use of GM crops in the third world, labeling of GM food, the speed at which GM food can commingle and spread into the food supply, and.issues of bioterrorism. She talks about her studies of invasive rice in Southeast Asia and the potential effects of genetically modified rice. She then moves on to discuss invasive plants in the United States including salt cedar and purple loosestrife. (11 minutes)
TRACK 5: Preserving the Natural Processes
Looking at why some species becomes invasive, Dr. Schaal notes that there is no one reason a plant becomes unmanageable and no way to predict with certainty whether a plant will become a pest. Discussing environmental change, she notes that humans have always been a part of natural ecosystems, but that things have been dramatically transformed in North America since European contact with the new world. She explains that a major cause of species extinction is destruction or fragmentation of habitat areas. She suggests that the goal of conservation is to preserve natural processes, and that people interested in conservation need to look at processes including nutrient cycling, migration, and community structure. (9 minutes)
TRACK 6: Communicating Science At Home and Abroad
Schaal discusses her position as vice president of the National Academy of Sciences and the issues she expects to deal with in that role. Her fundamental concern is communication with the public on scientific issues, including genetically modified foods, global warming, energy, and bioterrorism. She discusses her handling of the evolution controversy in her role as an evolutionary biologist. She discusses outreach and interaction with foreign scientists and academies. (9 minutes)
Last Updated: 06-08-2009
The audio files linked above are part of the National Academy of Sciences InterViews series. Opinions and statements included in these audio files are those of the interviewee and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Academy of Sciences.
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