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Lower Plants Inventory and Conservation in the Falkland Islands

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Lower Plants Inventory and Conservation in the Falkland Islands BryophytesAbroad Bryophytes abroad – The Falkland Islands he Falkland Islands were famously plants’ (mosses, liverworts, algae, lichens, fungi) del Fuego, and 125 species have been described species previously recorded from the Islands visited by Charles Darwin in have been neglected. Indeed, the Falkland Islands from the much smaller and more remote island of plus 58 new additions. Earlier major collecting 1832, but the legacy of his work State of the Environment Report 2008 and the South Georgia to the east (Ochyra et al., 2008). expeditions were by J.D. Hooker in 1842 (28 is far from complete in relation Biodiversity Strategy 2008–2018 highlight lower 193 liverworts are known from the Brunswick species), C. Skottsberg in 1902 (18 species), C. to the conservation of the Island’s plants as the most critical knowledge gap and Peninsula, a much smaller area in Southern Chile Skottsberg and G. Halle in 1908 (73 species) Tbiodiversity. The Territory is of geopolitical and underline baseline surveying and taxonomic (Engel, 1978). By comparison, only 141 moss plus R.E. Longton and R.I. Lewis-Smith in 1965 strategic importance to the UK, and is subject to identification of lower plants, particularly species plus 20 varieties (Matteri, 1986) and 130 (29 species), and R. Ochyra in 1980 (13 species) many environmental and development pressures bryophytes and lichens, as a high research liverworts and 1 hornwort (Engel, 1990) plus 6 en route south to Antarctica. The fact that 44 (e.g. climate change, agriculture and fisheries, priority. Due to the geoclimatic conditions of subsequent additions (Wiggington, pers. com.) species are at present known from but single tourism expansion, oil and gas exploration). the South Atlantic, the diversity of lower plants have so far been reported for the main Falkland collections or from just one of the two main Environmental policy, planning and impact in the Falkland Islands is far greater than the Island group. islands (17 taxa on West Falkland only and 27 on assessment in the Falklands require up-to-date vascular flora (174 native flowering plants to Knowledge of the liverworts rests heavily on East Falkland only with 48% of these restricted biodiversity information referenced against date). Lower plants also play an important role John Engel whose 1,000 or so collections from to the highest peak Mt Usborne) underlines the the background of changing environmental in many of the Islands’ ecosystems and are likely 6 weeks field work in 1968 included all but 4 need for further exploration. conditions in the South Atlantic. to be sensitive indicators of climate change. , (Left) Extensive stone runs typify many Falkland hillsides. (Top centre) Jeff Duckett, Rebecca Upson, Alan Orange and Many studies have been carried out on the Nearly 500 species of mosses have been Ray Tangney outside the Falklands Conservation Headquarters, Port Stanley. (Top right) ‘Jeffus prostratus’ collecting iconic and charismatic birds and marine mam- recorded in the neighbouring biogeographical Lejeuneaceae, Lepicolea and Philonotis scabrifolia on Mt Usborne. (Bottom) Rockhopper and Macaroni penguins mals of the Falkland Islands whereas the ‘lower source-region of southern Patagonia and Tierra north of White Rock House, West Falkland. J.G. Duckett (left, top centre, bottom); R. Tangney (top right) Jeff Duckett, Shaun Russell, Lower plants inventory Rebecca Upson and Ray and conservation in the Tangney report on a bryological Falkland Islands: expedition to the bryophyte reconnaissance and collecting expedition remote Falkland Islands in January 2011. 32 FieldBryology No106 | Feb12 FieldBryology No106 | Feb12 33 BryophytesAbroad Bryophytes abroad – The Falkland Islands he Falkland Islands were famously plants’ (mosses, liverworts, algae, lichens, fungi) del Fuego, and 125 species have been described species previously recorded from the Islands visited by Charles Darwin in have been neglected. Indeed, the Falkland Islands from the much smaller and more remote island of plus 58 new additions. Earlier major collecting 1832, but the legacy of his work State of the Environment Report 2008 and the South Georgia to the east (Ochyra et al., 2008). expeditions were by J.D. Hooker in 1842 (28 is far from complete in relation Biodiversity Strategy 2008–2018 highlight lower 193 liverworts are known from the Brunswick species), C. Skottsberg in 1902 (18 species), C. to the conservation of the Island’s plants as the most critical knowledge gap and Peninsula, a much smaller area in Southern Chile Skottsberg and G. Halle in 1908 (73 species) Tbiodiversity. The Territory is of geopolitical and underline baseline surveying and taxonomic (Engel, 1978). By comparison, only 141 moss plus R.E. Longton and R.I. Lewis-Smith in 1965 strategic importance to the UK, and is subject to identification of lower plants, particularly species plus 20 varieties (Matteri, 1986) and 130 (29 species), and R. Ochyra in 1980 (13 species) many environmental and development pressures bryophytes and lichens, as a high research liverworts and 1 hornwort (Engel, 1990) plus 6 en route south to Antarctica. The fact that 44 (e.g. climate change, agriculture and fisheries, priority. Due to the geoclimatic conditions of subsequent additions (Wiggington, pers. com.) species are at present known from but single tourism expansion, oil and gas exploration). the South Atlantic, the diversity of lower plants have so far been reported for the main Falkland collections or from just one of the two main Environmental policy, planning and impact in the Falkland Islands is far greater than the Island group. islands (17 taxa on West Falkland only and 27 on assessment in the Falklands require up-to-date vascular flora (174 native flowering plants to Knowledge of the liverworts rests heavily on East Falkland only with 48% of these restricted biodiversity information referenced against date). Lower plants also play an important role John Engel whose 1,000 or so collections from to the highest peak Mt Usborne) underlines the the background of changing environmental in many of the Islands’ ecosystems and are likely 6 weeks field work in 1968 included all but 4 need for further exploration. conditions in the South Atlantic. to be sensitive indicators of climate change. , (Left) Extensive stone runs typify many Falkland hillsides. (Top centre) Jeff Duckett, Rebecca Upson, Alan Orange and Many studies have been carried out on the Nearly 500 species of mosses have been Ray Tangney outside the Falklands Conservation Headquarters, Port Stanley. (Top right) ‘Jeffus prostratus’ collecting iconic and charismatic birds and marine mam- recorded in the neighbouring biogeographical Lejeuneaceae, Lepicolea and Philonotis scabrifolia on Mt Usborne. (Bottom) Rockhopper and Macaroni penguins mals of the Falkland Islands whereas the ‘lower source-region of southern Patagonia and Tierra north of White Rock House, West Falkland. J.G. Duckett (left, top centre, bottom); R. Tangney (top right) Jeff Duckett, Shaun Russell, Lower plants inventory Rebecca Upson and Ray and conservation in the Tangney report on a bryological Falkland Islands: expedition to the bryophyte reconnaissance and collecting expedition remote Falkland Islands in January 2011. 32 FieldBryology No106 | Feb12 FieldBryology No106 | Feb12 33 Bryophytes abroad – The Falkland Islands Bryophytes abroad – The Falkland Islands For mosses, the situation is even worse: not Alan, Jeff and Ray were able to spend no fewer our collecting for the day. He kindly provided having visited the islands, Matteri’s flora (1986) than 19 of their 21 days on the Islands doing field after-dinner entertainment for all his guests by was necessarily based on existing collections, work; the other 2 days were devoted to processing pulling us out and we were back in business after including those gathered en passant by John specimens and running two workshops. Ray breakfast the next day. Our fame quickly spread as Engel in 1968, and those of the Argentinians made by far the most extensive moss collection thereafter we were addressed as ‘the mossers who M. Rumboll and O. Kuhnemann, and Matteri from the Islands, whilst Jeff’s liverworts included got bogged’. It should also be mentioned that Jeff considered that the previous surveys of mosses over 95% of the species seen by John Engel plus had his camera case stolen by a striated caracara had been superficial. The fact that Matteri’s several new ones. Alan collected approximately whilst photographing Megaceros fuegiensis. flora lists no fewer than 21 endemics (cf only 4 880 lichen specimens, which were shipped back A further factor contributing to the compre- liverworts) shows that there remains a need for to the National Museum of Wales in Cardiff, hensive nature of the 2011 bryophyte collections further taxonomic studies. Overall, therefore, in 12 boxes weighing many many kilos in early was the compilation, prior to the visit, of the floristic works to date indicate that there are March 2011. In addition to the approximately illustrations of all the bryophytes recorded from many more bryophytes likely to be found on the 1,800 herbarium specimens of Falkland Islands the Islands. This proved easier for the mosses Islands. lower plants, the excellent microscope facilities with around 43 species in common to the at our home base in the Falklands Conservation British Isles than for the liverworts with only six The expedition in January 2011 Headquarters in Port Stanley enabled the species in common (Adelanthus lindenbergianus, This expedition stemmed from a scoping visit to preparation of dozens of specimens for future Barbilophozia hatcheri, Lophocolea bispinosa, L. the Falklands by Shaun during February 2010. molecular analyses and ultrastructural studies. semiteres, Metzgeria leptoneura and M. violacea). As a result, funding was obtained from the However, lest we get carried away by our success Though the 1990 Engel’s flora has excellent Shackleton Scholarships scheme, the Falkland it should be noted that the expedition had its descriptions and keys, it contains just four illus- Islands Government Environmental Studies downsides.
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