Australian National Botanic Gardens Research Articles

Genomic data inform taxonomy and conservation of Critically Endangered shrubs: a case study of Zieria (Rutaceae) species from eastern Australia

Abstract Zieria buxijugum, Z. formosa, and Z. parrisiae are three closely related, Critically Endangered species of questionable taxonomic validity that occur within six kilometres of each other on the south coast of New South Wales, Australia. We investigated genetic relationships and diversity of these species, along with two related but taxonomically distinct congeners, Z. granulata and Z. tuberculata, and a possible undescribed taxon, Z. aff. tuberculata. Double-digest restriction-site associated sequencing (ddRADseq) was used to generate anonymous genomic loci that were used for phylogenetic, network, and genetic structure analyses, and for estimating genetic diversity of the threatened species. Our results support the current taxonomic status of Z. buxijugum, Z. formosa, and Z. parrisiae, and suggest that Z. aff. tuberculata warrants recognition as a distinct species. We detected no evidence of inbreeding in the three Critically Endangered species, and found their genetic diversity to be similar to that of the more widespread species Z. granulata and Z. tuberculata. Comparison of plant material held in ex situ collections at the Australian National Botanic Gardens with wild plants highlighted several genotypes of the Critically Endangered species that are not represented in the ex situ collection, and we provide suggestions for the future inclusion of those unrepresented genotypes.

Conserving priority species at the Australian national botanic gardens

Conserving priority species at the Australian national botanic gardens

First recorded evidence of ejection of a cuckoo egg in a fairy-wren species

Brood-parasitic cuckoos lay their eggs in the nests of other birds, abandoning parental care to their hosts. Many host species have evolved defences to escape or reduce the costs associated with cuckoo parasitism. Superb Fairy-wrens Malurus cyaneus, which are a host to several cuckoo species in Australia, can distinguish cuckoo eggs based on their size or shape, or by using indirect cues such as the timing of egg laying or the presence of an adult cuckoo near the nest. They have previously been shown to reject cuckoo eggs by methods of egg burial or abandonment. These methods are likely to be costlier than ejecting the cuckoo egg from the nest (as seen in some other host species), because of the complete failure of the reproductive attempt, in addition to the costs associated with renesting. In this study, we document with photograph and video footage an incident of a Fan-tailed Cuckoo Cacomantis flabelliformis parasitising a nest of a Superb Fairy-wren in the Australian National Botanic Gardens, Canberra. Shortly after the parasitism event occurred, we recorded the female Fairywren returning to the nest and ejecting the single Cuckoo egg. To our knowledge, this footage represents the first evidence of ejection of a cuckoo egg in this species.

Epiphyllous bryophytes in Arboretum Mlyňany (Slovakia)

Article Details: Received: 2019-10-28 | Accepted: 2020-04-01 | Available online: 2020-06-30 https://doi.org/10.15414/afz.2020.23.02.51-57 In this work we screened for the diversity of epiphyllous bryophytes covering leaves of evergreen plants growing in temperate region of Arboretum Mlyňany (Slovakia). We identified five taxa of not typically epiphyllous bryophytes, all belonging to mosses: Brachythecium salebrosum (Hoffm. ex F. Weber & D. Mohr) Schimp, Hypnum cupressiforme Hedw., Hypnum cupressiforme var. filiforme Brid., Platygyrium repens (Brid.) Schimp., Pylaisia polyantha (Hedw.) Schimp. All these taxa are considered as obligate members of bryoflora of Slovakia at low risk of extinction. The most abundant was the generalist H. cupressiforme, while the rarest was the typical epiphyte P. polyantha. All identified epiphylls occurred on nine species of evergreen angiosperm phorophytes: Prunus laurocerasus L., Hedera helix L., Mahonia aquifolium (Pursh) Nutt., Ilex aquifolium L., Rubus caesius L., Viburnum × burkwoodii auct., Rhododendron catawbiense Michx., Viburnum rhytidophyllum Hemsl., Aucuba japonica Thunb.; on one gymnosperm phorophyte Cephalotaxus harringtonii var. drupacea (Siebold. & Zucc.) Koidz; and on one fern Asplenium scolopendrium L. The most often species of phorophyte for epiphyllous bryophytes was P. laurocerasus, while the rarest taxa were R. caesius, V. rhytidophyllum, R. catawbiense, A. japonica, V. × burkwoodii. Keywords: epiphyllous bryophytes, epiphylls, epiphytes, phorophytes References ATHERTON, I. et al. (2010). Mosses and Liverworts of Britain and Ireland: A Field Guide. Plymouth: Latimer Trend & Co. Ltd. Retrieved November 3, 2019 from http://www.britishbryologicalsociety.org.uk/ BENNICI, A. (2008). Origin and early evolution of land plants Problems and considerations. Communicative & Integrative Biology, 1(2), 212–218. BERRIE, G. K. and EZE, J. M. O. (1975). The Relationship between an Epiphyllous Liverwort and Host Leaves. Annals of Botany, 39 (163), 955–963. BLAGNYTĖ, R. and PALIULIS, D. (2010). Research into Heavy Metals Pollution of Atmosphere Applying Moss as Bioindicator: a Literature Review. Environmental Research, Engineering and Management, 4(54), 26–33. BOWMAN, J. L. et. al., (2017). Insights into Land Plant Evolution Garnered from the Marchantia Polymorpha Genome. Cell, 171(2), 287–304. BURKHARDT, J. and HUNSCHE, M. (2013). “Breath figures” on leaf surfaces-formation and effects of microscopic leaf wetness. Front Plant Sci., 4, 422. DANYLKIV, I. et al. (2002). Bryophytes of Ukrainian Roztochia. Lviv: Institute of Ecology of Carpathians. FRAHM, J. (2009). A preliminary study of the infraspecific taxa of Hypnum cupressiforme in Europe. Archive for Bryology, 40(1), 1–10. GLIME, J. M. (1982). Bryophyte Ecology. Michigan: The International Association of Bryologists. Retrieved November 1, 2019 from https://digitalcommons.mtu.edu/ bryophyte-ecology4/ GRADSTEIN, S. R. (1997). The taxonomic diversity of epiphyllous bryophytes. Abstracta Botanica, 21(1), 15–9. GUNATHILAKA, M. D. (2019). A Review of Bryophytes; Evolution, Value and Threats. International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications, 9, 384–398. HOŤKA, P. and BARTA, M. (2012). Inventory of Living Collections of the Mlyňany Arboretum. Bratislava: SAS. KIRÁLY, I. and ÓDOR, P. (2010). The effect of stand structure and tree species composition on epiphytic bryophytes in mixed deciduous-coniferous forests of Western Hungary. Biological Conservation, 143, 2063–2069. LEPP, H. (2012). Epiphyllous Bryophytes. Australian National Botanic Gardens and Australian National Herbarium. Retrieved October 28, 2019 from https://www.anbg.gov.au/bryophyte/ ecology-epiphyllous.html LIGRONE, R. et al. (2012) Major transitions in the evolution of early land plants: a bryological perspective. Annals of Botany, 109, 851–871. MALOMBE, I. (2016). The ecological response of epiphyllous bryophytes to human-induced edges in Afromontane fragmented forests. Journal of Bryology, 38(1), 1–47. MIŠÍKOVÁ, K. et al. (2015). Bryophytes of selected villages in Slovakia. Acta Botanica Universitatis Comenianae, 50, 25–33. MIŠÍKOVÁ, K. et al. (2020). Checklist and red list of mosses (Bryophyta) of Slovakia. Biologia, 75, 21–37. MORRISA, J. L. et al. (2018). The timescale of early land plant evolution. PNAS, 115, E2274–E2283. NOWIŃSKA, R. et al. (2009). Species diversity of plants and fungi on logs of fallen trees of different species in oak‐hornbeam forests. Botanika-Steciana, 13, 109–124. PÓCS, T. (1989). A preliminary study of the undergrowth of primary and secondary submontane rainforests in the East Usambara Mountains, with notes on epiphytes. In: Hamilton, A.C. & Benstead-Smith, R. (eds.) Forest Conservation in the East Usambara Mountains. Tanzania: IUCN, Gland and Cambridge, pp. 301–306. PÓCS, T. (1996). Epiphyllous liverwort diversity at worldwide level and its threat and conservation. Anales. Inst. Biol. Univ. Nac. Auton. Mexico, Ser. Bot., 67(1), 109–127. PORLEY, R. D. (1996). Foliicolous Metzgeria fruticulosa on Box leaves in the Chiltern Hills, England. Journal of Bryology, 19(1), 188–189. RISK, A. C. et al. (2011). Epiphyllous bryophytes in the Appalachian Plateau of Kentucky and Tennessee, U.S.A. The Bryologist, 114(2), 289–297. SHAW, A. J. et al. (2011) Bryophyte diversity and evolution. Window into the early evolution of land plants. American Journal of Botany, 98(3), 352–69. SMITH, A. J. E. (ed.) (1982) Bryophyte Ecology. London, New York: Chapman and Hall. DOI: https://doi. org/10.1007/978-94009-5891-3 VITT, D. H. et al. (1973) Foliicolous bryophytes and lichens of Thuja plicata in western British Columbia. Canadian Journal of Botany, 51(3), 571–580. WIERZGOŃ, M. and FOJCIK, B. (2014). Dead wood as a mainstay of bryophytes diversity in managed forest. Studia i Materiały CEPL w Rogowie, 41(2), 212–222. ZHOU, L. et al. (2014). Differential Effects of Lichens versus Liverworts Epiphylls on Host Leaf Traits in the Tropical Montane Rainforest, Hainan Island, China. Scientific World Journal. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1155/2014/681369

Beautiful Botanicals: Art from the Australian National Botanic Gardens Library and Archives

The Australian National Botanic Gardens plays an important role in the study and promotion of Australia's diverse range of unique plants through its living collection, scientific research activities and also through the art collection held in the institution's Library and Archives. Australia's history of formal botanical illustration began with the early voyages of discovery with its popularity then declining until the modern day revival in botanical art. The Australian National Botanic Gardens Library and Archives art collection holds works from the Endeavour voyage through to the more contemporary artists of Celia Rosser, Collin Woolcock, Gillian Scott and Aboriginal artists including Teresa Purla McKeeman as well as photographs and outdoor installations.

Tribute from the Australian National Botanic Gardens to Roger Good

Tribute from the Australian National Botanic Gardens to Roger Good

Australian national botanic gardens - master plan

Australian national botanic gardens - master plan

Encrypted Landscapes, Nation-States

As visitors perambulate around the Australian National Botanic Gardens, in Canberra, relationships among citizens, environments, and the nation-state are enacted: The central is emphasized over the peripheral, the Canberran space is depicted as a literal miniature model of the wider nation, science is privileged in the design of that representation, and “nature” is appreciated as isolatable from humans but controllable by them. As with other architectural aspects of Canberra, assumptions about the relative relationships among elements of the state are reflected in the spatial positioning and delineation of the items and embodied in those who move in and around them.

Gallant Desert Flora: Olive Pink’s Australian Arid Regions Flora Reserve

In the mid-1950s Olive Pink campaigned to have an area of land in Alice Springs set aside as a flora reserve. In 1956 the area was gazetted as the Australian Arid Regions Flora Reserve, with Pink appointed as honorary curator. Although Pink was not a professional horticulturalist or botanist, she established a garden that marked itself out from contemporary gardens, such as Maranoa Gardens and the Australian National Botanic Gardens, which were similarly committed to showcasing indigenous Australian plants. Pink's approach was pioneering in that she aimed to create a collection of plants selected by a delineated ‘climatic zone' and geographic area rather than drawn from all parts of the continent. This article argues that Pink developed a distinctive form of horticultural work informed by her passion for and close artistic observation of desert flora; her long experience establishing and maintaining gardens under central Australian ecological conditions; along with her anthropological insight into Indigenous knowledge of flora gained through her studies with Arrernte and Warlpiri people. Today we might recognize the principles that informed Pink's garden through the concepts of ‘water-wise gardens' and environmental sustainability practices.

Australian National Botanic Gardens: Protecting Alpine Plants in the Face of Climate Change

Australian National Botanic Gardens: Protecting Alpine Plants in the Face of Climate Change

Ex Situ Success: The Role of the Australian National Botanic Gardens in Native Plant Conservation

Ex Situ Success: The Role of the Australian National Botanic Gardens in Native Plant Conservation

Nitrogen in cell walls of sclerophyllous leaves accounts for little of the variation in photosynthetic nitrogen‐use efficiency

Photosynthetic rate per unit nitrogen generally declines as leaf mass per unit area (LMA) increases. To determine how much of this decline was associated with allocating a greater proportion of leaf nitrogen into cell wall material, we compared two groups of plants. The first group consisted of two species from each of eight genera, all of which were perennial evergreens growing in the Australian National Botanic Gardens (ANBG). The second group consisted of seven Eucalyptus species growing in a greenhouse. The percentage of leaf biomass in cell walls was independent of variation in LMA within any genus, but varied from 25 to 65% between genera. The nitrogen concentration of cell wall material was 0.4 times leaf nitrogen concentration for all species apart from Eucalyptus, which was 0.6 times leaf nitrogen concentration. Between 10 and 30% of leaf nitrogen was recovered in the cell wall fraction, but this was independent of LMA. No trade-off was observed between nitrogen associated with cell walls and the nitrogen allocated to ribulose 1.5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco). Variation in photosynthetic rate per unit nitrogen could not be explained by variation in cell wall nitrogen.

New director for the Australian National Botanic Gardens

New director for the Australian National Botanic Gardens

New director for Australian National Botanic Gardens

New director for Australian National Botanic Gardens

DISEASE NOTES OR NEW RECORDS: First record of a known fungus, Cercospora chenopodii, on a new host, Rhagodia spinescens

Leaf spots caused by Cercospora chenopodii are reported on the new host Rhagodia spinescens. They were observed on both leaf surfaces of plants cultivated at the Australian National Botanic Gardens in Canberra.

The biodiversity conservation policy of the Australian National Botanic Gardens

The biodiversity conservation policy of the Australian National Botanic Gardens

English

Makinson, R.O. (Australian National Herbarium, GPO Box 1600, Canberra ACT, 2601, Australia; email: rom@anbg.gov.au) and D.J. Mallinson (Australian National Botanic Gardens, GPO Box 1777, Canberra ACT, 2601, Australia), 1997. Muehlenbeckia tuggeranong (Polygonaceae), a new species from the Canberra district. Telopea 7(3): 215–219. The new taxon Muehlenbeckia tuggeranong Mallinson is described and illustrated, with notes on distinctions from related species.

Facultative Helping Does Not Influence Reproductive Success or Survival in Cooperatively Breeding White-Browed Scrubwrens

1. The most common form of cooperative breeding in birds involves a pair and their adult offspring ('helpers') provisioning young. Many studies show that pairs with helpers have higher reproductive success than pairs alone, but the differences could be due to confounding variables, like parental or territory quality, rather than to helping behaviour. 2. One method of testing whether helping increases reproductive success is to compare the success of intact groups with those from which helpers have been removed. The disadvantage is that variables other than provisioning by helpers (e.g. group size) are affected, which themselves could affect reproductive success. Alternatively, one can attempt to control statistically for confounding variables, but this is difficult in territorial species because it may be impossible to ensure that all confounding variables are measured. 3. We took advantage of natural variability in provisioning behaviour among subordinate white-browed scrubwrens, Sericornis frontalis, to assess the effect of helping. Scrubwrens are a small passerine in the family Pardalotidae in which male offspring may remain on the natal territory as adults. We compared the reproductive performance of pairs, groups with nonhelping subordinates and groups with helping subordinates, using data from 4-years' study of an individually colour-banded population resident in the Australian National Botanic Gardens, Canberra. 4. The total rate of feeds to nestlings was greater when helpers were present, but we could detect no increase in nestling weight. Furthermore, we found no effect of helping behaviour on reproductive performance or reproductive success. Our measures included: (i) duration of the nesting cycle and interval between nesting attempts; (ii) success of individual nesting attempts, measured in over 20 ways; and (iii) reproductive success over the whole breeding season, measured as the total number of fledglings and independent young. 5. There was also no effect of helping on survival of the female or dominant male. 6. We conclude that helping behaviour does not have a substantial, consistent effect on reproductive success, but cannot eliminate the possibility that it might increase reproductive success by a small amount or in some territories or years. Alternatively, helping behaviour might be the nonadaptive consequence of gene flow from populations in which it is adaptive. Nonetheless, we reject Jamieson's hypothesis that helping behaviour is a nonselected consequence of strong selection on parental behaviour, because, unlike many other species, helping is not an invariant consequence of natal philopatry.

DISEASE NOTES OR NEW RECORDS: First reported occurrence of powdery mildew on plants of Asterolasia hexapetala in Canberra

Powdery mildew has been reported on leaves of Asterolasia hexapetala for the first time in Canberra. Mycelium and conidia were observed on both surfaces of plant leaves cultivated at the Australian National Botanic Gardens in Canberra.

DISEASE NOTES OR NEW RECORDS: The known rust fungus, Puccinia plagianthi, on a new host, Gynatrix pulchella

Puccinia plagianthi is reported on the new host Gynatrix pulchella. Its telia were observed on flower buds, branches and both leaf surfaces of plants cultivated at the Australian National Botanic Gardens in Canberra.