Herbaria and Botanic Gardens as the memory of biological diversity

Abstract

In order to fully understand biological diversity of plants, it is necessary to study their genetic and metabolic-functional aspects. However, it is also necessary to identify with utmost precision the kind of organism under study, to allow the reproducibility of experimental results. Within this context, a major role is played by Botanic Gardens and Herbaria, where the investigated specimens are cultivated and kept as exsiccata, respectively, as a memory of plant diversity. After pointing out the role of herbaria in reference to the typologic concept of species, the author mentions the recent advances made possible by PCR techniques and RAPD markers in the analysis of the species and of the evolutionary relationships amongst allied taxa. Systematics, as study of diversity, is a modern and fascinating science.     

The Austrian Botanic Gardens Work Group,an Example of Active Networking to Promote Small Botanic Gardens

The continuously increasing demands on botanic gardens during the last few decades have led to a huge in increase administration and an urgent need for additional specialized personnel,especially botanists,teachers,database specialists and administrative staff.Instead of meeting these requirements,many botanic gardens are faceing a severe decrease in funding and personnel.Larger gardens provide the opportunity to distribute several tasks to different employees,whereas small gardens are short staffed and often run by a single curator who has to fulfill all functions.In order to meet actual demands more easily,the Austrian botanic gardens are linked nationally via an active workgroup.This network not only allows the distribution of information but also facilitates the sharing of duties.A listserver speeds up the communication and correspondence within the workgroup,collection priorities and projects(e.g.,GSPC) are coordinated,seedbanking becomes decentralized,printed matters are shared and distributed,etc.Small gardens with only few employees can participate in projects by taking on small-ideally using with their special resources-in order not to fall behind.In addition,there is also an urgent need for international networking by means of plant and seed exchange(Index Seminum),BGCI membership,discussion groups,personal contacts and projects.Mission statements,special marketing strategies for public relations,integrating projects of other workgroup members and adapted public awareness programs are important to focus attention to small gardens and to help them keep alive.     

The Austrian Botanic Gardens Work Group, an Example of Active Networking to Promote Small Botanic Gardens

The continuously increasing demands on botanic gardens during the last few decades have led to a huge in increase administration and an urgent need for additional specialized personnel, especially botanists, teachers, database specialists and administrative staff. Instead of meeting these requirements, many botanic gardens are faceing a severe decrease in funding and personnel. Larger gardens provide the opportunity to distribute several tasks to different employees, whereas small gardens are short staffed and often nn by a single curator who has to fulfill all functions. In order to meet actual demands more easily, the Austrian botanic gardens are linked nationally via an active workgroup.This network not only allows the distribution of information but also facilitates the sharing of duties. A listserver speeds up the communication and correspondence within the workgroup, collection priorities and projects (e. g., GSPC) are coordinated, seedbanking becomes decentralized, printedmatters are shared and distributed, etc. Small gardens with only few employees can participate in projects by taking on small-ideally using with their special resources-in order not to fall behind. In addition, there is also an urgent need for international networking by means of plant and seed exchange (Index Semihum), BGCI membership, discussion groups, personal contacts and projects. Mission statements,special marketing strategies for public relations, integrating projects of other workgroup members and adapted public awareness programs are important to focus attention to small gardens and to help them keep alive.     

Conservation genomics of an Australian cycad Cycas calcicola,and the Absence of Key Genotypes in Botanic Gardens

Understanding the genetic diversity of wild populations is fundamental to conserving species in-situ and ex-situ. To aid conservation plans and to inform ex-situ conservation, we examined the genetic diversity of the cycad Cycas calcicola (Cycadaceae). Samples were collected from wild populations in the Litchfield National Park and Katherine regions in the Northern Territory, Australia. Additional samples were obtained from botanic garden plants that were originally collected in the Katherine region, Daly River and Spirit Hills in the Northern Territory, Australia. Using RADseq we recovered 2271 informative genome-wide SNPs, revealing low to moderate levels of gene diversity (uH_e?=?0.037 to 0.135), very low levels of gene flow, and significant levels of inbreeding (mean F_IS?=?0.491). Population structure and multivariate analysis showed that populations fall into two genetic groups (Katherine vs Litchfield?+?Daly River?+?Spirit Hills). Genetic differentiation was twice as high between populations of the Katherine and Litchfield regions (F_ST?~?0.1) compared to within these two regions (F_ST?~?0.05). Increasing population fragmentation together with high levels of inbreeding and very little gene flow are concerning for the future adaptability of this species. The results indicated that the ex-situ collections (1) had significantly lower genetic diversity than the wild populations, and (2) only partly capture the genetic diversity present, particularly because the Litchfield National Park populations are not represented. We recommend that ex-situ collections be expanded to incorporate the genetic diversity found in Litchfield National Park and to increase the number of representatives from Daly River/Spirit Hills, and that in-situ populations from the Katherine and Greater Litchfield regions be conserved as separate management units.

     

植物园植物资源保育之创新

植物资源是植物园存在和发展的基础,植物资源保育是植物园最基本的工作。以往的植物资源保育工作主要包括植物资源日常管护、繁殖和资源保育研究,此模式的局限性随着植物园的发展或植物园面临越来越多的挑战而日显突出。植物资源保育之创新,首先是拟保育资源的系统性选择,其次是已保育资源的运用,包括植物资源的基础研究与应用研究、开发与推广应用以及科普利用。     

Botanic gardens and climate change: a review of scientific activities at the Royal Botanic Gardens,Kew

In 2009, the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (UK) launched its Breathing Planet Programme. This 10 year programme seeks to re-align Kew’s work to develop plant-based solutions to the challenges of climate change. Further to the development of the Programme, Kew has undertaken a review of its science projects with relevance to mitigating the impacts of climate change on plant diversity and people. The review has allowed Kew to better understand its current strengths and weaknesses in this area in order to plan for the future. The findings of the review could be relevant for science programmes in other botanic gardens. Botanic gardens play a fundamental role in the conservation of biodiversity to mitigate climate change impacts. Knowledge and data on plant systematics, distribution and physiology is vital for modelling and monitoring the impacts of climate change, to help to identify plant species and habitats most at risk of losing their wild diversity. Kew’s Millennium Seed Bank Project will safeguard 25% of plant species by 2020, while in situ projects are improving the conservation of threatened habitats. One challenge is to make such activities relevant and useful to other scientists, conservation groups and policy makers working to address climate change. However, botanic gardens must also develop working practices and projects that specifically address the challenges of climate change. Kew and a global network of partners are doing this in a variety of ways, and examples will be presented in this paper.     

Plant parasitic nematodes associated with the roots of wind toppled trees at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Root and soil samples from 21 trees blown down in Kew Gardens during the gales of October 1987 yielded 29 species of plant parasitic nematodes. Pratylenchus crenatus, P. thornei and P. penetrans were the only endoparasitic nematodes found. The common occurrence of P. crenatus and the root ectoparasitic nematodes, such as Merlinius microdorus, Paratrichodorus pachydermus and Rotylenchus robustus reflected the predominantly sandy nature of most of the soil samples. Species rarely recorded in Britain included Hemicriconemoides pseudobrachyurum, Paralongidorus maximus and Xiphinema pseudocoxi, all of which may be introductions.     

植物遗传多样性保护及其分子生物学研究方法

植物遗传多样性保护及其分子生物学研究方法李俊清（北京林业大学森林资源与环境学院,１０００８３）ＣｏｎｓｅｒｖａｔｉｏｎｏｆＰｌａｎｔＧｅｎｅｔｉｃＤｉｖｅｒｓｉｔｙａｎｄＲｅｌａｔｅｄＭｏｌｅｃｕｌａｒＢｉｏｌｏｇｉｃａｌＴｅｃｈｎｉｑｕｅｓ．￥Ｌｉ...     

The Hookers and the development of the Royal Botanic Gardens,Kew*

Following the recommendations of an investigating committee headed by John Lindley, responsibility for the maintenance of the neglected royal estates at Kew was assumed by the State in 1840. Sir William Jackson Hooker, who had long coveted the post, was appointed the first Director. Under his able supervision, the Royal Botanic Gardens rapidly expanded and were imaginatively landscaped, new greenhouses, including the famous Palm House, were erected, and three museums of economic botany were opened. Hooker's own extensive collections formed the nucleus of the Herbarium and Library which made Kew an important centre of taxonomic research. Joseph Dalton Hooker who succeeded his father as Director, although continuing to improve and develop the Gardens, concentrated his efforts on essentially scientific activities particularly in the fields of systematics and phytogeography. To a great extent the international reputation enjoyed by the Gardens today is due to the vision, determination and energy of the two Hookers.     

A brief history of conservation at the Royal Botanic Gardens,Kew

When Princess Augusta and Lord Bute, followed by Sir Joseph Banks and King George III, started gathering plants at Kew, conservation on the site can be said to have begun. Although the primary motive then was to assist the expansion of the British Empire and trade, rare plants were gathered and some became rare or extinct in the wild as their habitats were destroyed. The primary motive in the nineteenth century was not conservation, but the history of conservation at the Royal Gardens at Kew dates back to its very origins. Subsequent regimes at Kew maintained and added to the collections thereby adding to their conservation value. Many early collections are of species now listed within the IUCN categories of endangerment. Environmental awareness and concern had begun by the time that Professor Jack Heslop-Harrison became director and he was the first director actively to initiate specific conservation programmes such as seed banking and work on red data books. From then on conservation became an integral part of the work programme of Kew and the focus on conservation has increased with each subsequent director. This eventually led to the transformation of the embryonic seed banking activities into the Millennium Seed Bank, the largest and most important bank in the world for the conservation of the seeds of wild species. It currently holds just over ten percent of all seed plant species. Conservation at Kew over the past three decades has very much been a balance between ex situ work and in situ activities to help conservation in the overseas areas where Kew scientists have experience. Throughout the history of the gardens there has been a vital interest in economic botany that has developed from moving plants around the empire to much work on the sustainable use of plants and ecosystems thereby better equipping the institution to subsequently work on in situ conservation. Significant conservation activity at Kew has been possible because it is being supported by a solid research programme that includes such areas as systematics and molecular genetics and laboratories, a large herbarium and a large library. Kew has played an important role in stimulating conservation work elsewhere and such units as the Threatened Plants Unit of IUCN and Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) have their roots in Kew. Among other important conservation initiatives have been the creation of a unit to work with the implementation of the CITES treaty on the trade of endangered plants and a legal unit to work on issues of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). There is no doubt that the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew is at the forefront of plant conservation.     

Additions to the Wild Fauna and Flora of the Royal Botanic Gardens,Kew

Material from the Malaise trap operated by D. Baldock in 2002 continues to be identified and records of beetles omitted in previous supplements are listed here. Other casual records from various sources are also given. Tom Cope has continued his studies on the Wild Flora of the Gardens. Diego Fontaneto and Tim Barraclough collected rotifers in the gardens in November 2004. Members of the British Arachnological Society visited Kew on 10th September 2004 and a complete list of spiders and harvestmen found in the gardens is attempted.     

The Ecological Restoration Alliance of Botanic Gardens: A New Initiative Takes Root

An international consortium of botanic gardens and arboreta is launching a collaborative Ecological Restoration Alliance under the auspices of BGCI (Botanic Gardens Conservation International). We describe the Alliance and the ways in which it serves worldwide restoration efforts. Botanic gardens and arboreta are uniquely positioned to contribute to restoration science and practice. They have the plant collections and information required to understand flora and vegetation, and the horticultural expertise and experience needed to propagate, grow, manage, and conserve plants, all of which are essential for successful restoration. Botanic gardens work beyond their walls to network, educate, advocate, develop policy, build capacity, and engage in restoration projects throughout the world.