Home / Resources and Writings / Weblog / September 2005


Making the Garden Attractive to People and Wildlife

Category(-ies): Plant Relationships , Plants in the Landscape

Gardeners in the northern hemisphere will soon be busy with fall cleanup - trimming back all the dried plants and raking everything into the compost pile to make everything neat and tidy. It might be a good idea to allow a little mess in the garden this fall. As space for wildlife diminishes, animals and plants can be given a little space in home gardens.

Leaving dried seed heads on plants provides food for birds and other creatures during the winter. Leaving some leaves and twigs can provide habitat for creatures. The hardest part of doing this can be developing a new sense of aesthetics that allows for the beauty of nature's natural process of decay. It is not necessary to let the garden go wild, just allow a little space for nature.

Richard Burkmar comments on this.

Link: Gardening for Yourself from Space For Nature

Posted by Eric La Fountaine at 7:57 AM



Clinging Perennial Weed Problem Grows

Category(-ies): Plant Diseases and Pests

As agriculture adopts low tillage methods, perennial weeds are becoming a growing problem. One of the worst is redvine, Brunnichia ovata, a perennial woody vine, whose deep roots make control difficult. Researchers studying the mechanisms that allow the vine to climb have made two new discoveries. When the tendrils of redvine rub against an object, phenols in the plant react with polyphenol oxidase to form a sticky adhesive that the vine uses to cling. Secondly the researchers found that cells in the vine's tendrils produced lignin fibre, previously found only in trees. The lignin appears after coils form in the tendrils, allowing them to fix their position, ensuring a tight clasp on the host.

Link: New Insight into a Clinging Vine from the Agricultural Research Service of the US Depsrtment of Agriculture

Posted by Eric La Fountaine at 11:52 AM | Comments (0)



Kruger National Park Elephants too Successful

Category(-ies): Plant Conservation

The elephant population in South Africa's Kruger National Park has grown steadily since the turn of the 20th century, when only about 50 of them inhabited all of South Africa. Now numbering over 14,000 and increasing by around a thousand animals per year, the elephants are threatening the vegetation and water supply that supports other rare species in the park. Officials estimate that the park can sustain only around 7,000 elephants. A cull of 7,000 to 10,000 animals is being considered.

The last cull in 1994 caused such a public outcry that the government banned culls of the species. Similar reaction is expected if a new cull is announced. Officials agree that a cull will be necessary to preserve biodiversity in the park and want the public to understand the difficult decision.

Link: 10,000 Elephants Facing Slaughter to Protect Trees from the Times Online

Posted by Eric La Fountaine at 11:40 AM | Comments (4)



Salt-Resistant Gene of Rice Cloned

Category(-ies): Plant Discoveries

Chinese scientists have cloned a rice gene that provides salt-resistance. The gene, called SKC1, was taken from an ancient salt-resistant rice variety native to the Shanghai area. The gene works by balancing the levels of sodium and potassium (refered to by the Latin, Natrium and Kalium in the article) in the plants. Excess sodium is transfered to the roots, leaving space for potassium, necessary for plant growth, in the upper parts.

Chinese scientists hope to develop salt-resistant crop varieties through crossbreeding over the next few years. The new rice will be a great benefit to agriculture in a China, which has about one tenth of the world's saline lands.

Link: Salt-Resistant Gene of Rice Cloned from China View

Posted by Eric La Fountaine at 1:56 PM | Comments (1)



World Grass Species Database

Category(-ies): Botanical Resources

The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew has developed a comprehensive database with descriptions of grass species (10,800 of them) and another for synonomy with over 60, 000 names. The linked databases can be used to look up descriptions, identify grasses or to assist in key construction. Professional taxonomists and amateur enthusiasts alike will find the extensive database to be a useful resource. Users can browse the species index to find description pages, which are also accessible from the Synonomy Database. Additional software can be installed to enable more refined and interactive searches of the data.

Links:

Posted by Eric La Fountaine at 11:09 AM | Comments (0)



The Hundred-Mile Diet

Category(-ies): Plants, Food and Medicine

Alisa Smith and James B. MacKinnon are concerned about the environment and our food distribution systems. Troubled by the amount of fossil fuels being used to transport foods around the planet, the pair decided to try to survive for a year on only foods that were locally grown and produced. They defined local as a radius of 100 hundred miles from their home. Their adventures in finding local sources for their food needs is being told in a series of articles in the Tyee.

In the latest instalment, the duo travels to the sparsely populated northern region of the province for a vacation. Contrary to their expectation of having only wild berries to eat for a month, they found that area markets had an abundance of local produce and that fish and other wild foods were available to add to the pantry.

Link: The Hundred-Mile Diet Goes North from the Tyee. Links to the previous articles in the series follow the article.

Posted by Eric La Fountaine at 10:43 AM | Comments (0)



Microchips Foil Theft of Rare Plants

Category(-ies): Other Botanical Gardens , Plant Legal News and Issues

Curators at Ventnor Botanic Gardens on the Isle of Wight had microchips inserted into two rare tree ferns when they first arrived at the garden. After the ferns were stolen recently, this fact was made public. The two pilfered plants were found shortly after, having been dumped off by the thieves, who must have realized that they would not be able to sell the plants.

Link: Microchips save rare tree ferns from the BBC News

Posted by Eric La Fountaine at 9:55 AM



Things are not so Ducky in Arkansas in Recent Years

Category(-ies): Climate Change

People in Arkansas, like people in many areas, are not sure whether global warming is media hype or reality. There is plenty of anecdotal evidence to make one wonder. And if things are warming up, are human activities causing it? The president of the Arkansas Wildlife Federation, David Carruth, has been looking over data from the National Wildlife Federation and he is concerned. Arkansas is known among duck hunters for the largest overwintering population of ducks in the country and Mr. Carruth is a duck hunter. It appears that warmer winters are causing the ducks to stop off in areas further north for the winter.

David Carruth was one of the global warming naysayers until he started looking at the science a year and a half ago. Along with the National Wildlife Federation, which recently released a booklet titled The Waterfowler’s Guide to Global Warming, he is trying to convince duckhunters to pressure the federal government to take the issue of global warming seriously.

As the evidence of climate change and the count of species mounts, it is not only the duck hunters who should be concerned. The current rate of species extinction is aproximately 10,000 times greater than it was before man settled the planet - a loss of over 17,000 species per year. If mankind does not take action to balance its activites with the natural systems of the world, much more than duck hunting may be at stake.

Link: No global warming? from the Arkansas Times

Posted by Eric La Fountaine at 3:50 PM | Comments (0)



Biodiversity Up On the Organic Farm

Category(-ies): Plant Conservation , Plants, Food and Medicine

Surveys of organic farms, including a recently completed five-year study in Britain, are showing an increase in biodiversity. The absence of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers accounts for much of the greater level of species diversity, but other organic farming practices also benefit wildlife, such as planting hedgerows to attract beneficial insects and birds. Activities that incorporate the organic farm into the natural landscape often have benefit for both.

The link between agriculture and biodiversity is being recognized by various groups. The Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity is preserving heritage crops and promoting markets for them. The Wild Farm Alliance envisions sustainable food systems where "…ecologically managed farms and ranches are seamlessly integrated into landscapes that accommodate the full range of native species and ecological processes." And Salmon Safe has developed criteria for an eco-label that goes beyond organic certification to include practices that promote wildlife preservation.

Links:

Posted by Eric La Fountaine at 3:34 PM



Carolina Gold Rice

Category(-ies): Plant Conservation , Plants, Food and Medicine

A century after being displaced by new rice varieties, Carolina Gold rice, sometimes called "America's first rice," is returning to modern tables. The rice strain was first brought to S. Carolina in the late 1600s and quickly became a popular staple. Over the next two centuries a new cuisine, called Carolina Gold Kitchen, developed around the grain.

Scientists using genetic markers to analyze strains of rice have been able to distinguish Carolina Gold and its derivatives. The refined cultivar from this process is now called Carolina Gold Select. Findings from this research and other projects were recently presented at a symposium organized by the Carolina Gold Rice Foundation, an agency dedicated to the preservation of the heirloom rice and other historic grains.

Continue reading "Carolina Gold Rice"

Posted by Eric La Fountaine at 2:08 PM



A Rare Open House at Kew Herbarium

Category(-ies): Herbaria

Kew Herbarium and Library, founded by George Bentham and W. A. Broomfield in 1853, houses one of the world's largest collections of materials related to botany with over seven million dried plant specimens, 350,000 of which are "type specimens", the original specimens used to describe new species. The herbarium has the largest collection of historical dried plant specimens in the world, with contributers including Charles Darwin, Joseph Hooker and David Livingstone.

Normally open only to researchers by appointment, this weekend the herbarium will offer a rare chance to view the collections. As part of the Open House London weekend, the Kew Herbarium, Library and Archives will be open to the public from 10 am to 4 pm on September 17 and 18, 2005 . Admission is free.

Links:

Posted by Eric La Fountaine at 2:40 PM | Comments (0)



Moth May Control Invasive Fern

Category(-ies): Invasive Plants

Scientist seeking a natural biological control for the invasive Old World climbing fern, which is threatening Florida's wetlands, recently identified a fern-feeding moth, in Asia. As the fern is not invasive in areas where it grows naturally, it had been assumed that natural predators kept it under control.

The moth, Siamusotima aranea is called Lygodium spider moth because it feeds on Lygodium species and has markings that look like a spider (possibly mimicry to protect it from predators).

Link: Scientists Identify New Moth That Attacks Invasive Fern from the Agricultural Research Service of the US Department of Agriculture

Posted by Eric La Fountaine at 1:41 PM | Comments (0)



New Dwarfing Rootstocks for Peaches Developed

Category(-ies): Plant Discoveries , Plants, Food and Medicine

After a decade of testing in California's prime peach growing region, two new dwarfing rootstocks have been developed and patented for use with peach and nectarine trees. The new rootstocks produce trees 10% to 50% shorter than standard orchard varieties. With closer spacing the trees should produce about the same quantity of fruit as traditional orchard trees, but will be easier to maintain and harvest.

Link: Peach and Nectarine Trees: Picking the Perfect Height from the Agricultural Research Service of the US Department of Agriculture.

Posted by Eric La Fountaine at 1:41 PM | Comments (0)



Ten Years of Botany in Action

Category(-ies): Botanists and Horticulturists

Inspired by a conference on global biodiversity, sponsored by their local garden club, Susan Clancy and Paula Cook Sculley wanted to do something to help curb the loss of species. Ten years ago this summer, they founded Botany in Action to help fund the training of the next generation of botanists. All the money raised by the organzation goes to fund graduate students' field work in botany, ecology and ethnobotany.

Awards from Botany in Action have funded students' work in areas rich in biodiversity, many of which are threatened by development. At a time when so much of the available funding is going toward biomolecular and genetic research, the agency's funding can really make a difference to developing botanists.

Link: Decade-old Botany Program Reaps Rewards from the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Posted by Eric La Fountaine at 11:12 AM | Comments (0)



Plant Ontology Consortium

Category(-ies): Botanical Resources

The Plant Ontology Consortium (POC) is a collaboration of plant scientists, with the goal of developing a common vocabulary to describe structure and development across plant taxa, and to arrange the terminology into hierarchical structures (ontologies) that define the concepts and organize them by their relationship to one another. Initially working on Arabidosis, maize and rice, the group will expand its focus to other plant groups in coming years.

The common vocabulary defined by the POC will enable researchers to conduct uniform querries across databases participating in the project, enabling funtionality between databases.

Link: Plant Ontology the website of the Plant Ontology Consortium

Posted by Eric La Fountaine at 11:10 AM | Comments (0)



Monitoring the 'Grass of the Sea'

Category(-ies): Plant Discoveries

Phytoplankton, free-floating microscopic marine plants, are the base of the ocean's food chain. When conditions are favourable large 'blooms' of the algae can form. These blooms can de-oxygenate the water, devastating populations of sea life in the area. Some types of phytoplankton are also toxic to fish and humans.

Monitoring phytoplankton blooms can provide valuable warning for fisheries and public health officials. Satelite imaging systems, such as Envisat's Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS) used by the European Space Agency, can detect and keep track of developing algal blooms.

Link: Earth from Space: Bloom in the Baltic from Biology News Net

Posted by Eric La Fountaine at 2:11 PM