THE JEPSON GLOBE a Newsletter from the Friends of the Jepson Herbarium
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THE JEPSON GLOBE A Newsletter from the Friends of The Jepson Herbarium VOLUME 20 NUMBER 3, Fall 2010 Curator’s Column: Distinguished Sabbatical Visitors Continuing Discoveries in Investigate California Plants California Floristics Toward the end of last year, Bruce By Bruce G. Baldwin Baldwin hosted two distinguished As we conclude the final phase of visitors, Professor Joachim W. Kadereit editing of the revised Jepson Manual, from the Institute of Systematic most treatments already have been Botany and Botanic Garden, Johannes posted for online viewing (see http:// Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany, ucjeps.berkeley.edu/jepsonmanual/ and Dr. Gudrun Kadereit from the review/) and the great magnitude of Botanical Institute, Univ. of Mainz. change in understanding of California’s They came to Berkeley with their four flora since 1993 is beginning to be children and while they were here, they were involved in several collaborative absorbed by botanists everywhere, prior projects described below. to publication. An especially valuable The two projects pursued by Joachim outcome of the effort by our many during his visit originated from his dedicated authors to produce revised interest in the systematics and phylogeny floristic treatments for the newManual of Papaveraceae and the subfamily is major progress in systematic studies The Bay Area Early Detection Papaveroideae, which consists of two of Californian plants. As a result of major lineages, a New World lineage the stimulus provided by the Manual Network — An Exciting New Collaboration with Arctomecon, Argemone, Romneya, project, discoveries of new Californian Canbya, Hesperomecon, Meconella, and plant lineages have been made recently, The University and Jepson Her- Platystemon, and a primarily Old World and are reflected in part by new taxa baria, along with more than 100 other lineage with Meconopsis, Papaver, recognized in the revised treatments. organizations, are now partners in the Roemeria, and Stylomecon. Other discoveries could not be Bay Area Early Detection Network In the mostly Old World lineage, incorporated in the revised Manual (BAEDN). BAEDN is an initiative that Papaver californicum and Stylomecon because of insufficient time to publish coordinates early detection and rapid re- heterophylla are the only New World formal descriptions of new taxa in sponse to plant invasions across the nine representatives (apart from some arctic- scientific journals, but are nonetheless counties of the San Francisco Bay Area. alpine poppies). Although quite unlike in a by-product of the project and will be BAEDN works to proactively deal with capsule morphology — P. californicum incorporated in the online version of the highest priority outbreaks before (Continued on page 5.) the Jepson Manual after valid publi- they grow into large and costly threats. cation elsewhere. Our intent for the BAEDN partners are working together ALSO IN THIS ISSUE future is to revise floristic treatments to develop a scientifically rigorous list Leaf Venation Enhancement as needed, so that the online Manual of the most harmful invasive plants, Mike Park Awarded a DDIG will track progress as it occurs rather train each other in detection techniques, than on a once-per-decade or longer make detections and report them to the Mistletoe Acquisition time interval. As the threats to Cali- shared database, Calflora; intriguing Recent Books and Discoveries fornia’s flora magnify and the pace of finds are vouchered and included in Welcome Jeanne Marie Acceturo discovery quickens, more vigilance will the Consortium of California Herbaria Welcome Amy Kasameyer be necessary to ensure that taxonomies database as well. Individual populations (Continued on page 4.) (Continued on page 10.) Cover image by Andrea Williams 1 Digital Photographic Leaf Venation Enhancement: Investigating Fossil Plants from the Eocene Douglas Creek Arch Flora By Bruce Handley Research Associate, University of California Museum of Paleontology I am working on a fossil flora (pa- leoflora) project entitled “The Eocene Douglas Creek Arch Flora of North- western Colorado and Northeastern Utah”. This paleoflora was deposited in advance of a prograding delta push- ing into the closing phase of ancient Lake Unita. Lake Uinta, located today in eastern Utah, was one of the largest fossil lakes preserved within the Eocene Photo B. Step 1 cropped digital Photo C. Step 2 cropped digital photo Green River Formation deposited over photo of herbarium specimen, of herbarium specimen enhanced by non-destructive. LED array, non-destructive. 50 million years ago. Vein patterns in the Douglas Creek Arch (DCA) leaves paleoflora is limited to isolated fossil lighting. Step 2 is to photograph the are so well preserved they can be com- leaves. There are many constraints in- herbarium specimen with bright light pared to modern herbaria specimens, herently built into the identification of from an LED array that is transmitted with most fossil leaves identifiable to fossil leaves but I am using a technique up through the specimen from below as genus. Based on these modern plant that I hope will improve my ability to seen in photo-C. comparisons, in combination with geo- identify leaves. Using digital images of I’ll be working on this project for logical data, we know the Uinta plants herbarium specimens, I can compare years to come and would like to thank grew in the lake, along its margin, in leaf architectural characters of fossil all the people and botanists that have area wetlands and on the surrounding plants and extant plants to determine contributed to making the University low hills of the DCA roughly 46 million their nearest living relative. This is not and Jepson Herbaria a tremendous re- years ago. a phylogenetic approach but rather one source of the world’s flora. Special My study is not unlike that of many that relies on morphological compari- thanks go to Andrew Doran and the staff other paleobotanists since much of the sons and statistical inferences. of the University and Jepson Herbaria The technique I am using, digital and Diane M. Erwin of UCMP for their photographic leaf enhancement, digi- assistance and support of this project. tally preserves the leaf morphology and architectural characters of herbarium specimens. This is a non-destructive method that produces a high-resolution digital image of the herbarium specimen and an enhanced venation record using a specially constructed photo stand light box. The results vary from excel- lent to no enhancement. The method is preferable to the older method of clear- ing leaves, which was destructive to herbarium specimens, time consuming, and exposed the researcher to harmful chemicals (Photo A). The digital photographic leaf en- hancement technique can be summa- Photo A. An example of a cleared leaf. rized as follows: Step 1 is to photograph Photo D - Fossil Populus leaf from the (UCMP), removed from a UC her- the herbarium specimen as seen in Douglas Creek Arch paleoflora show- barium specimen. Destructive method. photo-B using just side and overhead ing well-preserved veins. 2 Mike Park Awarded a Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant from NSF photosynthetic capacity that satisfies the vironmental plasticity, or a mixture of energetic demands of reproduction. Ac- both. Growth-chamber experiments quisition of heterophylly is thought to will provide the first test to distinguish be associated with the switch to vernal among the three alternative processes pool habitats. and, in turn, will help to inform evo- Phylogenetic methods using lutionary understanding of a possible nrDNA (ITS), chloroplast (trnQ-5’trnK), key-innovation of vernal pool lineages. and single-copy nuclear (LEAFY, 2nd Because vernal pools are one of the intron) markers will be employed to most imperiled habitats in California, unravel the evolutionary relationship the study also has broader impacts. Two of heterophylly to habitat change and Eryngium taxa are on the Federal list of the biogeographical origin of vernal Endangered species: E. constancei and pool Eryngium. Vernal pool lineages E. aristulatum var. parishii (E. aris- and close relatives will be studied. The tulatum var. hooveri is not listed, but following questions will be addressed: is known only from two populations). Conservation efforts are currently How do vernal pool lineages arise © UC Regents hindered by widely acknowledged from terrestrial lineages? Does taxonomic difficulties and insufficient the process involve increasing Mike Park, a graduate student in knowledge of life history. Agencies such specialization from terrestrial to the Baldwin lab, has been awarded a as the US Fish & Wildlife Service and semi-aquatic habitats, and finally prestigious DDIG from the National California Department of Fish & Game into vernal pools? Science Foundation. Mike’s research could more effectively apply conserva- titled “Adaptation and historical Did heterophylly evolve in vernal tion policies with improved knowledge ecology in vernal pool Eryngium pools or in an intermediate (semi- of rare taxa. The experiments in this (Apiaceae)” is now underway. Below aquatic) habitat? study will also provide opportunities is an excerpt from his grant proposal for underrepresented minority students that provides an overview of the project. Does Cope’s “Law of the Unspe- from UC Berkeley to learn scientific cialized” apply? Does vernal pool Vernal pools are island-like research techniques otherwise not avail- specialization lead to an evolu- topographic depressions characterized