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In the last week of January 2016, the ‘Cretaceous community’ lost another of their prominent members, Chris Wood. During recent decades, Chris had been active in the United Kingdom as well as in mainland Europe, particularly in Germany and Poland. Several years ago he had been forced to leave the ranks of Associate Editors with Cretaceous Research , due to a severe illness that he was adamant to overcome. Later in 2016, two of us, fellow editors with that journal for a number of years, with the help of Rory Mortimore, approached former colleagues and friends of Chris's to contribute to a special issue. From the start, the idea has been to cover all aspects of Cretaceous stratigraphy and palaeontology. The geographical range of papers contained in the present issue extends from Northern Ireland to the Russian Caucasus Mountains, and in stratigraphical age, there is full coverage from the Jurassic–Cretaceous to the Cretaceous–Paleogene boundaries. Biologically speaking, taxonomic groups involved include dinoflagellates and calcareous nannoplankton on one end of the spectrum to mosasaurid and plesiosaur reptiles on the other. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Floras (and Faunas) have a rich history that involves examining questions on evolution and biogeography. However, in recent publications Floras have been viewed as an end unto themselves, separate from clade-based monographs and evolutionary studies. Floras are not a separate entity but rather a part of a continuum that involves databases, checklists, floras, biodiversity studies, and conservation biology as well as monographs. As the importance of Floras and related studies has become more apparent, there have been comments about the lag time between when specimens are collected and when they are identified, the amount of time it takes to describe new taxa, and how long it takes to finish floras and other projects. Some have referred to this as the "Taxonomic Impediment", and it is sometimes laid at the feet of taxonomists. Taxonomists can become more efficient by using various on-line resources and this will continue to speed up as more literature, etc. become available but the impediments to taxonomy are many, not the least of which is a lack of funding and the dwindling number of taxonomists. Changes in how systematists work and interact with other branches of science must take place in order to speed up research and re-establish the importance of Floras but only a substantial infusion of funds and personnel will really accelerate our progress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]