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Smithsonian Botanical Symposium
Poster Abstracts
Plant Biodiversity of Mount Kinabalu
Mount Kinabalu, on the island of Borneo, rises from near sea level to nearly 4,100 m. Current research on the Kinabalu flora has the following components. (1) Floristic inventory indicates that over 5,000 species are present on the mountain. (2) A geographic information system (GIS) serves as a basis for floristic and phylogenetic studies. Locally named places and other features are included on a detailed topographic map. (3) Phylogenetic analyses in exemplar taxa in the pteridophytes, orchids, Fagaceae and Urticaceae indicate that the high-elevation, endemic species have been derived from neighboring species of lower elevations. (4) An ethnobotanical project gives attention to the collection and description of plants that are economically valuable, ecologically important, and threatened by human activities. Local collectors have gathered some 9,000 specimens that document names, uses, and localities for both used and currently unused plant resources.
Plant Biodiversity and Medicinal Resources in Hong Kong
Hong Kong, though small with only 1,100 km2, is rich in floristic biodiversity, with some 3,140 species of vascular plants, 380 bryophytes, 210 marine algae, and 170 lichens. We are working on the flora and, with QEF support, establishing the website on Hong Kong Flora and Vegetation (http://www.hkflora.com) to include extensive plant information and numerous photos. Systematic studies of Orchidaceae, Stemonaceae and Rutaceae have extended to molecular and chemical markers, and the results further facilitate pharmacognostic authentication and medicinal applications. Following the leads of traditional uses mentioned in Chinese herbals, we have conducted bioassay-guided chemical studies, which led to the identification in many local species bioactive components, particularly for viral infection, fertility regulation, and cardiovascular problems.
Interactive Key to the Families of Flowering Plants of
South East Asia
South East Asia has an immense and very incompletely known diversity of flowering plants (c. 40,000 species). One of the major obstacles in studying this flora is the absence of a reliable and easy-to-use key to the families of flowering plants. Botanical information (biology, conservation, morphology, uses, etc.) is traditionally organised on the family level or below. The lack of a user-friendly and reliable key to the family level is a major problem in unlocking this information. In a joint project between the National Herbarium of the Netherlands, Leiden and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, a small number of powerful characters (based on van Balgooy 1997, 1998 & 2001 and Watson, L & Dallwitz, MJ datasets) were selected, illustrated and defined in everyday English. The key is thoroughly tested by experts and by general biologists, in order to produce a reliable and easy-to-use identification tool.
A Checklist of the Trees, Shrubs, Herbs and Climbers of Myanmar
A checklist is provided of the gymnosperms and angiosperms of the Southeast Asian country of Myanmar. The list updates four previous editions dating back to 1912. The list was compiled from the earlier lists, an inventory of specimens from select herbaria, advice from taxonomic specialists and records from Index Kewensis and regional floras of neighboring countries. The entry for each species includes the Latin binomial, author, plant habit, distribution, and common Myanmar and English names. Political and vegetation maps, color plates of some common species and vegetation types, and indices to family, species and common names are provided. This list contains: 273 families, 2,371 genera, and 11,800 species.
This publication is the product of a collaborative effort involving participants from the U.S. National Herbarium and the Forest Department of Myanmar. Members of the team examined herbarium specimens, studied the literature, resolved nomenclature problems, solicited reviews for taxonomic groups, and built the database that was used to create the text for the published checklist. The checklist content will be kept up to date on the project's Web site, http://persoon.si.edu/myanmar/.
(Contributions from the United States National Herbarium, Volume 45: 590 pages, including eight plates and three maps)
Systematics and Ecology of Dischidia (Apocynaceae, Asclepiadoideae) in Vietnam and Laos
Dischidia R.Br. comprises ca. 80 species of succulent epiphytic vines. Many species of Dischidia are prominent components of Southeast Asian "ant gardens" and some have leaves modified into ant domatia. Thirteen (13) species of Dischidia are native to Vietnam and Laos. Four (4) of these are new to the flora of these countries and two (2) are new to science. Twelve (12) species are documented from Vietnam and six (6) from Laos, most likely reflecting the relative collecting intensity in these two countries.Field observations were made on three (3) species, Dischidia rimicola Kerr, D. n. sp. 1, and D. n. sp. 2. All three are associated with tree nesting species of Crematogaster. Presentation experiments with seeds of D. rimicola indicate that they are attractive to ants, supporting the hypothesis that the ants' seed collecting behavior is the basis for ant garden formation.
The Recent Development of the Chinese Floras with Emphasis on the South and Southwest China
Great changes have taken place in Chinese botany in the past 20 years, since China opened its door to the world in 1979, and many contributions have been made by Chinese botanists to our understanding of the floras from that vast area. The new developments in the Chinese Floras are summarized as followings. First, the greatest flora project in Chinese history - Flora of China (Chinese Edition, as Flora Reipublicae Popularis Sinicae, FRPS), up to 80 volumes and 125+2 volumes have been finished (1959-2003). Second is the English, updated edition, Flora of China (FOC), which is being written under international cooperation between Chinese and non-Chinese taxonomists. The first volume was published in 1994, and now eight volumes, about one third of the total 25 volumes, have been published. Third are the local floras of China which have achieved huge success. Almost all 32 provinces have their own flora, and most of them have done very well. Some have even been revised.
A Phylogenetic Model of Nested Species-Area Relationships Using Pacific Island Floras
Volcanic archipelagoes in the Pacific, having arisen de novo in isolation, accommodate biotas derived entirely from long distance dispersal and in situ speciation. Groups of species descended from each colonist thus constitute phylogenetic lineages that have diverged to varying degrees under similar spatial and temporal constraints. Previous work has examined the ecological and biogeographical correlates of species diversity in Hawaiian angiosperm lineages. The most notable trend is that species richness of lineages correlates negatively with the average geographic range size of constituent species. This logarithmic relationship serves as the basis for a model relating phylogenetic processes to species-range distributions and associated species-area relationships. New analyses of the Marquesas and Society Island angiosperm floras are testing this model. These three archipelagos represent evolutionary provinces (regions defined largely by in situ speciation) that have similar climates, geologic histories, and source biotas to the Hawaiian Islands, yet differ from one another in total area. Variation in province area most strongly influences the largest lineages, which account for large proportions of species in each archipelago system. All three provinces exhibit the negative log-linear relationship between average species-range size and species richness of lineages. A more detailed model proposed here links phylogeny with the nested structure of inter-provincial species-area relationships.
Medicinal Plants of Antiquity
The research program Medicinal Plants of Antiquity aims at reconstructing the lore of medicinal plants used in classical antiquity (8th century B.C. - 3rd century A.D.). It intends to collect the written record of ancient practice in ancient books (manuscript and printed) in the original language (Greek and Latin, also including later Arabic translations of texts lost in their original language), as well as plant representations in books and archeological sites. Data are stored in an electronic database and will be available through the Internet. Data will be retrievable according to different parameters, e.g., by plants, medical conditions, places or periods. The program will help to preserve a patrimony of knowledge threatened by oblivion, to submit ancient applications to modern medico-pharmacological verification, to diversify the sources for medicines, and to contribute to the preservation of biodiversity and the environment. A first phase has been to collect all the relevant data from the major sources on therapeutics in antiquity, Hippocrates, Dioscorides and Galen. The next phase will deal with printed books from the 15th and 16th centuries. From June 2003 onward, research will be done at the National Library of Rome with the support of the Earthwatch Institute.