Collection Of Plants Research Articles

Trends and Tourists Purchasing Interest at The Souvenir Center of The Ragunan Zoo Wildlife Park

This research focus on trend analysis and tourists’ purchasing interest at souvenir center of the Ragunan zoo wildlife park. The research title chosen because souvenir center have has attraction potential that significant for visitors. and understanding factors that influence purchasing interest and tourists trend can provide the important insights for souvenir center management. Methodology that used is qualitative descriptive with analytical approach SWOC, involving observation and literature review. Problem Formulation includes an understanding of economic factor, social motives, that influence purchasing interest, impact of Anggrek park Ragunan to the trends of ornamental plant collection trends, and SWOC analysis to identify strengths, weakness, opportunities, and challenges in Ragunan souvenir center. This research aims to provide contribution to improve management and interest of souvenir product at this tourist destination.

A Study on the Ex-Situ Conservation and Promotion of Medicinal Plants in Dr. Sushila Tiwari Herbal Garden, Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, India

A study was conducted at the Dr. Sushila Tiwari herbal garden in Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, with the aim of scientific documentation and data collection of medicinal plants. The study found there are approximately 126 species present in the herbal garden, trees being the most abundant species followed by shrubs, herbs, climbers and grasses. The major families found in the herbal garden are Fabaceae, Lamiaceae, Apocynaceae, Moraceae, Poaceae, and Solanaceae etc. Critically endangered species such as Chlorophytum borivilianum, Endangered species such as Oroxylum indicum, Ginkgo biloba, Cammiphora wightii, Rauvolfia serpentina, and Strychnos lucida. Near threatened species such as Aegle mermelos, were also found in the garden. Herbal gardens are crucial for conserving rare and endangered medicinal plants, while also promoting the utility of commonly available and frequently used medicinal plants among people, beneficiaries and other stakeholders.

Species Composition and Distribution of Terrestrial Herbs in a High Montane Forest in Ecuador

In mountain tropical forests, understory herbs have received little attention compared to trees, and their commonness and rarity are virtually unknown. We studied ground herbs to explore how they are assembled in a full one-hectare plot and to test the influence of light intensity (LI) and topographic habitats in species composition. The plot is a humid montane forest located in the Pasochoa Volcano, at 3300 m. We found 43 genera and 50 perennial species (30 angiosperms in 17 families, and 20 ferns). Interestingly, herbs are 64% richer in species than trees in the same study plot (50 vs. 32). Herbs were mostly obligately terrestrial (70% of the species), while 30% were fallen climbers and epiphytes rooted in the ground. Across the forest, there were 31,119 individuals that covered 8.5% of the ground. We concluded that both LI and topography shaped the species distribution, the floristic composition, and the community structure of ground herbs. For instance, 12% of the species were exclusively found in places with high LI; the rest of species grew in medium- to low-LI environments. Concerning rarity, we found that 39% of the species are rare (judging by botanical collections; <100), which stresses the need of conservation strategies for this group of plants.

First catalogue of benthic marine macroalgae from glacier-influenced environments of the Beagle Channel, deposited in the new Sub-Antarctic Cryptogamic Herbarium (SCH) of the University of Magallanes

The environmental characteristics and geomorphological landscape in the sub-Antarctic Magellanic ecoregion underpin a biological diversity that evolved adapting to the microhabitats produced by these heterogeneous ecological conditions. The high level of endemism found in these biological communities is nowadays protected thanks to the creation of the Cape Horn Biosphere Reserve (CHBR), a natural laboratory at the southern end of the sub-Antarctic Magellanic ecoregion. Studies produced in this region offer a valuable knowledge of its biological, ecological and cultural facets in a state still scarcely impacted by anthropogenic activities. The retreat of glaciers present along the channels and fjords of the CHBR due to global climate change impacts the marine benthic and macroalgae communities hosted in these water bodies. European expeditions in the 18th and 19th centuries pioneered the works which provided our current knowledge about this subantarctic marine flora. Nevertheless, there is still a gap of taxonomic information of macroalgae diversity in the CHBR. To solve this gap, with support of the Cape Horn Internationional Center (CHIC), we created the Sub-Antarctic Cryptogamic Herbarium (SCH) hosted at the Antarctic and Sub-Antarctic Marine Ecosystems Laboratory (LEMAS), University of Magallanes. In 2020, the New York Botanical Garden indexed the SCH in its Index Herbariorum. This indexation granted by this world-renowned institution places the SCH's biological collection as the world's southernmost cryptogamic repository. As such, the SCH's botanical collection is currently the only gateway to the subantarctic ecosystem's biological legacy. The catalogue below provides information about the ecological and morphological characteristics of macroalgae deposited in the SCH, with particular focus on those species present in the CHBR. We identified 54 species. Among them 23 belong to the Rhodophyta division (43%), 19 species to the Chlorophyta division (35%), and 12 species to the Ochrophyta division (22%). In the context of rapid global change, involving increasingly threatened taxa due to human impact, baseline studies and records deposited at the SCH will provide an essential tool for assessing patterns of change and defining conservation practices to protect the rich biodiversity of these sub-Antarctic ecosystems.

Catalogue of the Vascular Flora of Bernardo O'Higgins National Park, Magallanes Region, Chile: Catálogo de la flora vascular del PNBO

During the period between November 2009 and February 2010, two scientific expeditions were conducted in the Bernardo O'Higgins National Park (PNBO). During these fieldworks, a total of 1271 specimens were collected and deposited in the Herbarium of the University of Concepción (CONC). To compile the catalog, specimens collected in 10 additional locations by previous researchers were added to these botanical collections. The catalog comprises 261 species belonging to 70 families. Among these species, 203 are native, and 23 are introduced. The species in the catalog are classified into the divisions Pteridophyta (32), Pinophyta (3), and Magnoliophyta (226); within this last division, the classes Liliopsida (74) and Magnoliopsida (152) are represented. This first floristic catalog of PNBO is of great importance due to the park's vast territorial expanse and geographical location. It contributes to the fundamental understanding of the biodiversity of this challenging-to-access southern territory and the country as a whole.

Comprehensive mass spectrometric metabolomic profiling of a chemically diverse collection of plants of the Celastraceae family

Natural products exhibit interesting structural features and significant biological activities. The discovery of new bioactive molecules is a complex process that requires high-quality metabolite profiling data to properly target the isolation of compounds of interest and enable their complete structural characterization. The same metabolite profiling data can also be used to better understand chemotaxonomic links between species. This Data Descriptor details a dataset resulting from the untargeted liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry metabolite profiling of 76 natural extracts of the Celastraceae family. The spectral annotation results and related chemical and taxonomic metadata are shared, along with proposed examples of data reuse. This data can be further studied by researchers exploring the chemical diversity of natural products. This can serve as a reference sample set for deep metabolome investigation of this chemically rich plant family.

Verified localization and pharmacognosy of herbal medicinal plants in a combined network framework

Pharmacognosy from medicinal plants involves the scientific domain of medicinal compounding based on their medicinal properties. Accurate identification of medicinal plants is crucial, especially by examining their leaves. Choosing the wrong plant species for medicinal preparations can have adverse side effects. This study presents a Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence approach for medicinal plant identification, combining a YOLOv7-based Leaf Localizer with a leaf Class Verifier based on DenseNet through a Confidence Score Analyser algorithm. The Confidence Score Analyser ensures reliability by evaluating predicted categories against predefined thresholds, and the ensemble technique through majority voting enhances robustness. An average performance gain of 25.66% sensitivity is observed when comparing the YOLO object detection model with 77.45% precision to the YOLO integrated with the class verifier model with 97.33% precision. Consistent sensitivities are achieved through the ensemble technique, showcasing robustness across diverse scenarios. The final step incorporates automated textual and audio pharmacognosy information about the identified medicinal plant properties and their utility. Real-time applicability as a smart phone application makes this approach invaluable for medicinal plant collectors and experts.

The Arnold Arboretum’s Campaign for the Living Collections: A Case Study in Living Collection Development

In 2015, the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University began an ambitious plant acquisition program: The Campaign for the Living Collections. Prior to the initiative’s launch, the Arboretum underwent several years of strategic planning to assess the values, strengths, and gaps within its renowned living collection of temperate woody plants and then set goals that would profoundly shape the collection and its research and conservation potential for decades if not for centuries. Core genera, conservation value, phylogenetic breadth, biogeography, and climate change responses were among the priority themes used to generate a targeted list of 395 desiderata to acquire from wild populations. In only a few years, the Campaign’s 26 formal expeditions and other acquisition efforts have yielded 631 accessions of 263 highest-priority desiderata, representing 66.6% of the overall goal. This venture represents one of the most transformative and deliberate collection development activities at the Arnold Arboretum and among botanical gardens in the current era. These successes are due to a combination of factors that include visionary yet realistic strategic planning and goal setting, adherence to high standards of documentation and reporting, and authentic relationship building among collaborators.

Disclosure of Origin in European Biotechnology Patent Law: A Social Network Analysis Perspective

Abstract Recital 27 of the European Union Directive 98/44/EC on the Legal Protection of Biotechnological Innovations mandates the disclosure of the geographical origin of biological material when the invention is based on or incorporates such material. This requirement seeks to monitor the origin of biological materials, often linked to indigenous and local communities, to ensure prior informed consent and equitable benefit-sharing with resource providers. Several European countries, such as Switzerland and Norway, legally require this disclosure, and the Draft International Instrument of the World Intellectual Property Organization is poised to expand the list of nations with such requirements. However, the definition of ‘origin’ presents challenges for patent applicants, as it may refer to the primary source (e.g. indigenous and local communities, the country of origin) or secondary sources (e.g. ex situ plant collections or commercial suppliers). Moreover, defining the information to be disclosed as the origin is crucial for the credibility of disclosure statements. To address this issue, this article pioneers a social network analysis approach to the issue of biopiracy and disclosure of origin. It introduces the network-centric narratives of 30 prominent cases of biopiracy from South and Southeast Asia, Latin America, and Africa, and unveils the average distance between the nodes previously accused of biopiracy and the nodes that correspond to the origin of the biological material in question. By highlighting the role of intermediaries in distorting information within material distribution networks, the findings contest the feasibility of requiring patent applicants to provide information on both primary and secondary sources.

Abstract 1818: Novel efficient isolation and water-soluble prodrug preparation of anti-cancer natural product narciclasine

Abstract Narciclasine is a promising anti-cancer agent produced by plants of the family Amaryllidaceae. Narciclasine has been shown to be a potent anti-cancer agent against a variety of cancers carrying dismal outcomes, including glioblastoma, non-small cell lung cancer, and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. It is particularly effective in animal studies of brain cancer both primary, such as glioblastoma, metastatic tumors to the brain, such as melanoma and non-small cell lung cancer. Its isolation from plants has generally been accompanied with variable success as it depends on the plant species, their location and the time of plant collection. In this study, an optimized procedure for the extraction of narciclasine yielding 300 mg/kg of dried plant material. This represents a crucial step towards the development of optimized narciclasine derivatives, as the price of narciclasine from commercial sources ranges from $100-$500 per milligram. Additionally, clinical advancement of narciclasine and its derivatives has been severely thwarted, potentially owing to its sparing water-solubility. Insolubility in water makes administration at therapeutic dosages difficult and can lead to unfavorable pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic characteristics. To this effort, the synthesis of five prodrug esters of narciclasine is presented, with the target of a water-soluble narciclasine prodrug. Citation Format: Alexander Kornienko, Ryan Rutledge. Novel efficient isolation and water-soluble prodrug preparation of anti-cancer natural product narciclasine [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2024; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2024 Apr 5-10; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(6_Suppl):Abstract nr 1818.

Got plants? Availability of and challenges to production of native plants for wetland restoration

As the U.N. Decade on Restoration progresses, the demand for genetically and species‐diverse native plant materials for restoration is expected to increase. However, little is known about the availability of plant materials for restoration, particularly in wetlands, which have lagged behind in restoration research. Given the crucial role wetlands play in providing ecosystem services, particularly in semi‐arid regions worldwide, it is important to understand the availability of wetland plant materials for restoration. We surveyed plant material vendors in the Intermountain West of the United States, a vast region containing hundreds of millions of hectares of private working lands and protected areas. We sought to determine the breadth and diversity of species and materials available for restoration, the practices used by vendors, and the challenges they face. We found far lower availability of aquatic, emergent, and meadow wetland species compared to riparian and terrestrial species. To improve species availability, vendors need financial incentives to produce new or difficult‐to‐propagate species and clearer feedback from customers on what species meet their restoration goals. Market fluctuations are the biggest challenge that vendors face, and creating consistent demand is the most important way to overcome this challenge. Overall, vendors follow best practices for obtaining and maintaining genetic diversity in their seed and plant collections, a critical component to meeting restoration goals. However, there are still some opportunities to improve best practices. The results add to the understanding of the challenges in meeting plant material demand for restoration in wetlands regionally and globally.

THE ISSUE STATUS OF CREATING ELECTRONIC HERBARIUM IN KAZAKHSTAN

Modern science is dynamically developing, the integration of information technology into other scientific fields is observed everywhere. These innovations have touched the herbarium field as well. Digital technologies open new directions for the work of Herbaria. The article shows the relevance of digitisation of botanical collections and the creation of a database of electronic herbarium. The review of Kazakhstan institutions carrying out activities in this direction is given. The main problems are outlined, successful solution of which will allow to succeed in creating a virtual herbarium in the country.

Evaluation of Leaf Chlorophyll Content from Acousto-Optic Hyperspectral Data: A Multi-Crop Study

Chlorophyll plays a crucial role in the process of photosynthesis and helps to regulate plants’ growth and development. Timely and accurate evaluation of leaf chlorophyll content provides valuable information about the health and productivity of plants as well as the effectiveness of agricultural treatments. For non-contact and high-performance chlorophyll content mapping in plants, spectral imaging techniques are the most widely used. Due to agility and rapid random-spectral-access tuning, acousto-optical imagers seem to be very attractive for the detection of vegetation indices and chlorophyll content assessment. This laboratory study demonstrates the capabilities of an acousto-optic imager for evaluation of leaf chlorophyll content in six crops with different biophysical properties: Ribes rubrum, Betula populifolia, Hibiscus rosa-sinensis, Prunus padus, Hordeum vulgare and Triticum aestivum. The experimental protocol includes plant collecting, reference spectrophotometric measurements, hyperspectral imaging data acquisition, processing and analysis and building a multi-crop chlorophyll model. For 90 inspected samples of plant leaves, the optimal vegetation index and model were found. Obtained values of chlorophyll concentrations correlate well with reference values (determination coefficient of 0.89 and relative error of 15%). Applying a multi-crop model to each pixel, we calculated chlorophyll content maps across all plant samples. The results of this study demonstrate that acousto-optic imagery is very promising for fast chlorophyll content assessment and other laboratory spectral-index-based measurements.

Crossing the Caucasus hunting for plants: the collection itinerary of the botanists Stéphen Sommier and Émile Levier in the summer of 1890

ABSTRACT Stéphen Sommier and Émile Levier were eminent botanists and plant collectors (but also ethno-anthropologists, geographers and photographers), best known for their scientific travels in Italy and abroad. This study accurately reconstructs the travel and collection itineraries of a trip through the Caucasus in 1890. The botanical importance of this journey is significant, with over 10,000 specimens collected, more than 1600 taxa identified, and over 250 newly described taxa based on the collected samples. The locations visited are placed in a time sequence on up-to-date georeferenced topographic maps. Furthermore, using dedicated heatmaps, we show the sites where the two explorers collected specimens that were later identified as taxa new to science. These maps will also be useful to botanists, historians, scholars and curators of natural history museums, who work with Caucasian flora and vegetation, ethno-anthropology, history of photography, and landscape.

Ghost Plants: The Possibilities of Botanical Ecobiography

ABSTRACT Sarah Brooks, an early botanical collector in the remote south-east of Western Australia, and entanglement with that region are the subject of my research. I came to Sarah’s story through a fascination not only with her as a person, but also with the place where she lived; the period of colonisation and dispossession of First Nations people in the late nineteenth century; and with the plant life she encountered in the global biodiversity hotspot of south-west Australia. In looking for ways to honour the deep entanglements between Sarah, the place she lived and the many hundreds of botanical specimens she collected, I found my way to ecobiography, a form of life writing that explores an ecosystem of the Self, comprised of all the interactions between the Self and the other-than-human world. In this essay, I explore the potential of botanical specimens as biographical source material—and as one piece of evidence of Sarah’s entanglement with place. This essay also touches on the possibility of Sarah’s specimens as historical archive, in order to approach her story with an awareness of the other-than-human, so that the agency of other living beings in shaping (human) histories can be centred.

Encyclia naranjapatensis Dodson (Orchidaceae), a new record for the Peruvian flora

Background: Encyclia, is a genus with more than 200 species in the Neotropics, eight of which have been previously reported from Peru. During the evaluation of the orchid flora in the forests of the Sicchez district, a small population of an Encyclia species was found that could not be unequivocally matched to any previously known species in the country.
 Questions: Will the recent explorations of Northern Peru result in the reporting of new taxa for the country?
 Studied species: Orchidaceae, Laeliinae, Encyclia Hook, Encyclia naranjapatensis Dodson
 Study site and dates: Sicchez District, Ayabaca Province, Piura Department, Peru, 2022-2023.
 Methods: Specimens were collected and determined by consulting botanical collections available online, taxonomic treatments, checklists, and specialized literature. The conservation status was assessed according to IUCN methodology.
 Results: We report a novelty for Peru, Encyclia naranjapatensis, and an updated description including morphological information on relevant structures that will be used to diagnose this entity. In addition, E. naranjapatensis is part of a basal clade referred to as the E. diurna species group. The conservation status assessment results in Endangered and the species is linked to the Seasonally Dry Tropical Forest, an endangered ecosystem throughout the Neotropics.
 Conclusions: The recent entity located in Peru correspond to Encyclia naranjapatensis. This discovery allows us to investigate the geographical limits, discuss the phylogenetic and ecological affinities, update the original description, and evaluate its conservation status.

Plant collecting in São Tomé and Príncipe—collectors and their itineraries during the colonial period

The history of vascular plant collecting on the islands of São Tomé and Príncipe, from the earliest times up to the independence of the country in 1975 is provided, along with biographical information on all the collectors that could be traced, with notes on their itineraries, collecting localities, and collections. Aspects of the social environment prevalent in São Tomé and Príncipe at the time that historical collections were made are highlighted and contextualised to enable an improved understanding of connections between scientific-botanical endeavour, colonialism, and slavery on São Tomé and Príncipe.

The improvement of the CAPS-marker for St, J and V subgenome identification in Triticeae tribe plants using the 5S non-transcribed spacer polymorphism

In the Triticeae tribe, several subgenomes (St, J, V and others) were described, and a subgenome-specific molecular marker development is an actual branch of studies. Non-transcribed spacers (NTS) of 5S rDNA are perspective to create species-specific or genome-specific molecular markers in closely related organisms. Early, the 5S rDNA NTS based CAPS marker (StJV-f/StJV-r primers with the SmiM1 enzyme digestion) was designed for identification of the St, J and V subgenomes. The V subgenome amplicons were differed from the St and J amplicons in length. The St amplicons were distinguishable from the J amplicons after the SmiM1 enzyme digestion (St fragments were digested, J fragments were not digested, which is a disadvantage, because a failure with the digestion of St amplicons can be mistaken for J amplicons). This article presents the results of the StJV marker improvement. Comparative analysis of restriction enzyme maps revealed that the Hpy166 II enzyme cuts the StJV amplicons of all studied subgenomes in such a way that different product patterns are obtained. Experimental testing confirmed this finding. Thus, the improved CAPS marker can serve as a promising tool for verifying samples in Triticeae plant collections, screening herbarium materials, as well as in the breeding process aimed at improving wheat by involving its wild relatives in traditional breeding programs efficiently.

GENETIC DIFFERENTIATION OF CULTIVATED CITRUS FRUITS (Citrus spp.) IN COLOMBIA USING SSR MOLECULAR MARKERS

Citrus is the second most important fruit crop in Colombia after bananas, with production taking place in 26 of the country’s 32 departments. Oranges, sour limes, and mandarins are the most economically important crops in terms of area planted and production. Microsatellites were used to assess the genetic differentiation of oranges, mandarins, tangelos, grapefruits, and acid limes from the Colombian Agricultural Research Corporation AGROSAVIA germplasm bank and collection of micro-grafted plants at Palmira Research Center in Colombia. A total of 121 samples from eight citrus groups were analyzed with 30 fluoromarked simple sequence repeats (SSR) microsatellites. The mean expected heterozygosity and mean observed heterozygosity were 0.58 and 0.57, respectively, and the coefficient of genetic differentiation was 0.558, confirming very high genetic differentiation among the citrus groups evaluated. Microsatellites mCrCIR01B02, AMB5, Ci01C09, mCrCIR08B08, and Ci01C07 were the most informative, presenting a high number of alleles and polymorphic loci percentages of more than 45 %; in addition, they allowed the identification of unique alleles, which can be used to establish the genetic fingerprint of citrus. Genetic differentiation was achieved for seven out of the eight groups evaluated. The SSRs used failed to differentiate the orange groups, possibly due to genetic origin; for this group, other molecular markers are recommended.

A Survey and Analysis of the History of Ernest Henry Wilson’s Specimen Collections in China

Since the mid-17th century, Western plant collectors have explored Asia, particularly China, to collect native species for economic and botanical development. Ernest Henry Wilson (1876–1930) stands among the foremost figures in this pursuit. He conducted five plant collections in China between 1899 and 1918, gaining recognition for numerous valuable ornamental species. However, precise details such as the total number of specimens, a comprehensive species list, and the collection locations remained elusive, hindering a thorough assessment of his scientific contributions. To address this gap, we compiled data from various online databases and relevant publications, constructing a comprehensive dataset encompassing species names, collection dates, locations, and additional pertinent information. Employing Python, we organized and translated the species names and locations, facilitating analysis of families, genera, species, and the completeness and preferences of his collection. The conclusions drawn from the available data include 19,218 specimens, with 11,884 collection numbers, belonging to 200 families, 1046 genera, and 3794 species (including 342 infraspecific taxa). Wilson exhibited a preference for woody and flowering plants, resulting in a collection completeness of 25%. His collection spanned seven provinces, 28 prefecture-level cities, and 38 county-level areas, underscoring his significant contributions to the global dissemination of Chinese plant knowledge. This study conducts a comprehensive analysis of the plant specimens collected by Wilson in China, investigating their taxonomy, distribution, and historical context and evaluating Wilson’s contribution to plant dissemination. The findings serve as a valuable reference for subsequent biodiversity research endeavors.