
Matthew C. Pace
Assistant Curator, William and Lynda Steere Herbarium
Ph.D., University of Wisconsin
Madison, Wisconsin, 2015
Specialty
Orchidaceae, especially Spiranthes, Goodyerinae, Pelexia, Platanthera, Cyclopogon, Lepanthes, and Microchilus; Plant biogeography
Expertise
Orchidaceae
Research Projects
Digitizing “endless forms”: Facilitating Research on Imperiled Plants with Extreme Morphologies (NSF TCN)
Bringing Asia to digital life: mobilizing underrepresented Asian herbarium collections in the US to propel biodiversity discovery (NSF TCN) Link: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2100755&HistoricalAwards=false
Securing and Sharing Biocultural Diversity Collections at The New York Botanical Garden (NSF Capacity) Link: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2140478&HistoricalAwards=false
Profile
As Assistant Curator to the Herbarium, I serve two complementary roles: 1) Herbarium management and curation, and 2) Conduct original systematic research focusing on the megadiverse orchid family.
My duties as an herbarium manager include curation of the collections to reflect advances in systematic understanding, facilitate the use of the Herbarium, giving tours of the herbarium to a vast number of different groups, and grant writing to support digitization and curatorial efforts.
My research interests focus on the Orchidaceae: their evolution, relationships, morphology, taxonomy, and biogeography. My research incorporates field, molecular, and herbarium approaches to understand speciation and biodiversity, test patterns of apparent hybridization, clarify biogeographic history, and identify the conservation needs of New World Orchidaceae. Current genera of focus include Spiranthes (ca. 35 spp.), Pelexia (ca. 65 spp.), Cyclopogon (ca. 70 spp.), Platanthera (ca. 200 spp.), Microchilus (ca. 145 spp.), and Lepanthes (ca. 1000 spp.), and subtribe Goodyerinae (ca. 710 spp.).
Field research and collecting has covered much of eastern North America. I have a particular interest in Florida and the Atlantic Coastal Plain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and the Ouachita Mountains of Arkansas. I also eagerly collaborate with citizen scientists in the finding and monitoring of orchid populations, and the gathering of material.
Selected Publications
Pace, M.C., G. Giraldo, J. Frericks, C.A. Lehnebach, and K.M. Cameron. 2018. Illuminating the systematics of the Spiranthes sinensis species complex (Orchidaceae): ecological speciation with little morphological differentiation. Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, DOI: 10.1093/botlinnean/boy072
Pace, M.C., and K.M. Cameron. 2017. The Systematics of the Spiranthes cernua Species Complex (Orchidaceae): Untangling the Gordian Knot. Systematic Botany, 42: 640-669
Pace, M.C., S.L. Orzell, E.L. Bridges, and K.M. Cameron. 2017. Spiranthes igniorchis (Orchidaceae), a new and rare cryptic species from the south-central Florida subtropical grasslands. Brittonia. 69(3), 323-339. DOI 10.1007/s12228-017-9483-3
Pace, M.C., and K.M. Cameron. 2016. Reinstatement, Redescription, and Emending of Spiranthes triloba (Orchidaceae): Solving a 118 year old cryptic puzzle. Systematic Botany, 41(4): 924–939.
Spalink, D. B.T. Drew, M.C. Pace, J.G. Zaborsky, J.R. Starr, K.M. Cameron, T.J. Givnish, K.J. Sytsma. 2016. Biogeography of the cosmopolitan sedges (Cyperaceae) and the area-richness correlation in plants. Journal of Biogeography, doi: 10.1111/jbi.12802.
Pace, M.C., An updated description of the collections and history of The New York Botanical Garden Herbarium (NY): 1995–2015. Brittonia, 68(3): 317–323
Documents