Dr. Brian Atkinson

Dr. Brian Atkinson
  • Assistant Professor
  • Assistant Curator
  • Research Interests: Flowering Plants, Macroevolution, Paleobotany, Phylogenetics, Systematics

Contact Info

Office: Haworth Hall 7018

Personal Links

Research —

Research interests:

  • Reconstructing macroevolutionary patterns and relationships of seed plans
  • Mesozoic and early Cenozoic conifers and flowering plants

Selected Publications —

  • Atkinson, B. A. 2020. Fossil evidence for a Cretaceous rise of the mahogany family (Meliaceae, Sapindales). American Journal of Botany 107: 139-147.
  • Atkinson BA, C Martínez, WL Crepet 2019 Cretaceous asterid evolution: Fruits of Eydeia jerseyensis sp.nov. (Cornales) from the upper Turonian of eastern North America. Annals of Botany 451-460.
  • ​Atkinson BA, R Serbet, TJ Hieger, EL Taylor 2018 Additional evidence for the Mesozoic diversification of conifers: Pollen cone of Chimaerostrobus minutus gen. et sp. nov. (Coniferales), from the Lower Jurassic of Antarctica. Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology 257: 77-84.
  • ​Stockey RA, NJP Wiebe, BA Atkinson, GW Rothwell 2018 Cupressaceous pollen cones from the Early Cretaceous of Vancouver Island, British Columbia: Morinostrobus holbergensis gen. et sp. nov. International Journal of Plant Sciences 179: 402-414.
  • ​Atkinson BA 2018 The critical role of fossils in inferring deep-node phylogenetic relationships and macroevolutionary patterns in Cornales. American Journal of Botany 105: 1-11.
  • ​Atkinson BA, RA Stockey, GW Rothwell 2018 Tracking the initial diversification of asterids: Anatomically preserved cornalean fruits from the early Coniacian (Late Cretaceous) of western North America. International Journal of Plant Sciences 179: 21-35. 
  • ​Atkinson BA, RA Stockey, GW Rothwell 2017 The early phylogenetic diversification of Cornales: Permineralized cornalean fruits from the Campanian (Upper Cretaceous) of western North America. International Journal of Plant Sciences 178: 556-666.
  • ​Atkinson BA, RA Stockey, GW Rothwell 2016 Cretaceous origin of dogwoods: an anatomically preserved Cornus (Cornaceae) fruit from the Campanian of Vancouver Island. PeerJ 4:e2808.
  • ​Stockey RA, H Nishida, BA Atkinson 2016 Anatomically preserved fossil cornalean fruits from the Upper Cretaceous of Hokkaido: Eydeia hokkaidoensis gen. et sp. nov. American Journal of Botany 103: 1642-1656.
  • ​Atkinson BA 2016 Early diverging asterids of the Late Cretaceous: Suciacarpa starrii gen. et sp. nov. and the initial radiation of Cornales. Botany 94: 759-771.
  • ​Buczkowski EL, RA Stockey, BA Atkinson, GW Rothwell 2016 Cunninghamia beardii sp. Nov. (Cupressaceae: Cuninghamioideae), anatomically preserved pollen cones from the Eocene of Vancouver Island, British Columbia Canada. International Journal of Plant Science 177: 103-114.
  • ​Atkinson BA, RA Stockey, RA Mindell, MJ Bolton 2015 Lauraceous flowers from the Eocene of Vancouver Island: Tinaflora beardiae gen. et sp. nov. (Lauraceae). International Journal of Plant Sciences 176: 567-585.
  • ​Atkinson BA, GW Rothwell, RA Stockey 2014 Hughmillerites vancouverensis sp. nov. and the Cretaceous diversification of Cupressaceae. American Journal of Botany 101: 2136-2147.
  • ​Atkinson BA, GW Rothwell, RA Stockey 2014 Hubbardiastrobus cunninghamioides gen. et sp. nov., evidence for a Lower Cretaceous diversification of cunninghamioid Cupressaceae. International Journal of Plant Sciences 175: 256-259.