Green News A newsletter for undergrad botany students VOLUME 1: ISSUE 4 JUNE 2010 Winter is here Gentianella sp. Well the weather over the last week or so has definitely signalled that winter is here. Although the shortest day is only 20 days away this ‘colder’ weather is likely to stick around for a number of months yet with snow often coating INSIDE THIS ISSUE the hills as late as October. As a year‐round resident of Dunedin, I can assure you that Dunedin weather does get warmer (just not often, and usually when ∆ Tertiary information day most of the student population has left for the summer). This issue has all Alex Ghaemaghamy the usual articles plus some showcasing of the extra‐curricula activities that students get up to while studying. Anyway I hope exams go well, and for those going home for the holidays, ∆ Summer studentships enjoy the warmer weather… Sarah Fisher Ella

∆ An interesting find Tertiary information day... Luke Easton Alex Ghaemaghamy is a third year student doing a Botany degree with an Ecology minor. Recently she helped out at the Botany stand at Tertiary infor‐ ∆ Paper review mation day. She writes about her experience... BIOL 113 ‘A day spent working behind the Botany stand turned out to be a rather interesting experience in ways I did not expect. Not only did it provide an ∆ Student repping opportunity to view things from “the other side of the counter”, it also Eva Pomeroy induced some forced reflection on this degree I have chosen to do, espe‐ cially in terms of where it might take me in the future.’ ∆ of the month ‘It all started around 9am when the hall became packed with hordes of wide‐eyed school students, weaving their way between stalls with packs of friends. Behaviour seemed to consist mainly of picking up the odd pamphlet and seeing what could be scored for free (especially in terms of ∆ Upcoming events food). Our rotating pitcher plant didn’t really compete with the happen‐ ings at the zoology stall opposite. However, many of those who were ∆ Photos smart enough to venture over to our stall for a free sneak peak at some fungal spores down a microscope left with, I think (or hope), a new found interest in the wonderful world of .’ ‘As could probably be expected, our stall attracted a number of weird and wonderful characters, many of whom just wanted to fondle the carnivorous plants and/or ask about marijuana and mushrooms. Other questions often followed the tone of, “What can you do with a botany degree?” A good question and one which I admittedly had anticipated somewhat nervously, as, despite be‐ ing in my 3rd year of studying towards this degree, I often find my‐ self pondering the same question. In a strange way, I found that telling others what they could “do with a botany degree” kind of answered some of my own questions about it. So, if you are feeling unsure about your degree, I would definitely recommend explain‐ ing to someone all the different things that you could do with it, Alex at the Botany stand maybe even volunteer to work at an info day about it, you might get a free lunch.’ Summer Studentships… Sarah Fisher is a third year student studying botany, ecology and marine science papers. She is taking papers in these subjects because they are the subjects that interest her the most. I asked her to write about her student‐ ship. It’s Not Just Grass — ‘Over the summer of 2009‐2010, I was lucky to be given a summer studentship to work on a research project towards es‐ tablishing a possible mechanism for guild based assembly rules in the Botany Lawn. The aim of the project was to analyse how different spe‐ cies and guilds within the Botany Lawn community recover from lawn mowing. After spending years weeding and lawn mowing and cursing the weeds for growing so fast, it was great to be on the flipside taking so much care with selected in each guild to set up a hydroponic sys‐ tem where I would simulate the lawn mowing with a delicate snip from the scissors. After carefully washing the and roots of what were once lumped into either ‘weeds’ or ‘grass’, I learnt to recognise and ap‐ preciate the individual features of different species growing in the lawn Hydroponic system set up to community. The studentship also offered a great opportunity to develop simulate lawn mowing safe lab practices while working in the fume‐hood to extract the starch and sugars after I had dried and ground the harvested samples into a fine powder. I learnt a lot over the summer and recommend taking up a studentship to anyone who is interested in extending their practical skills beyond what is taught in the labs. The only drawback of becoming interested in different species of grass is catching myself lingering at cracks in the pavement to identify what hardy species of ‘weed’ is able to grow in such tough conditions!’ An interesting find... Luke Easton is a first year student majoring in Zoology, but taking a few Bot‐ any papers. He enjoys Botany because it provides an insight into the diver‐ sities of ecosystems and how essential plants are as drivers of ecosystems. He made an interesting find while on holiday which, after investigation, was Witches broom on Pittosporum published in the ODT on the 3rd May. tenuifolium ‘Whilst pruning away a Pittosporum tenuifolium (kohuhu) on our rental property in Greytown, South Wairarapa, I happened to notice a growth that looked somewhat like a mistletoe.’ ‘Having done some background research, and currently working on a local project in establishing Korthalsella lindsayi, I realised that this was something different (i.e., it was neither a native nor exotic recorded spe‐ cies assuming that this was a mistletoe). So after taking some photos I directed these to John Steel who immediately indicated the possibility of this growth being cause by Eriophyid mites (witches broom) but that they would need a sample to be sure. Back to warm Wairarapa for the holiday I retrieved this curious find and forwarded it to the Botany Dept in a plastic bag to be identified. Tony Harris (an entomologist at Dunedin Museum) confirmed that this was no mistletoe and that it was indeed witches broom. However, the cause of it remains unclear as the speci‐ men was refrigerated before it could be examined so any mites (Acalitus kohus and Aceria tenuifolii which Tony expected could have caused it) present had perished. Considering these mites had not originally been Close up of witches broom, associated with kohuhu this would have been a very unusual find so we note the ‘normal’ sized to can only assume that this was caused by a fungal growth.’ the left of the photo Paper review—BIOL 113 BIOL 113—Biology of Plants—Second semester Kelsey Picard is a second year student majoring in Plant Biotechnology with a minor in Botany. She took BIOL113 last year and is currently enjoying the second year botany papers she is taking. ‘When I signed up to take the BIOL113 paper I was a bit apprehensive. At the time I was only interested in human and animal biology so I was really dreading a whole semester of plant biology, but very early on my whole outlook changed as I developed a real interest and passion for the subject.’ ‘The first lecture we had was on fungi with David Orlovich. To be honest, at the time I couldn’t think of anything worse, but after two or so lec‐ tures of his I found myself really looking forward to the lectures every week. We learnt about mosses and ferns, higher plants, algae and the different lifecycles and reproductive methods in which each lecturer’s passion and enthusiasm in their topics made it very enjoyable. It was also very inspiring to learn of the possibilities botany has to offer in terms of biofuels and sustainable living.’ ‘Once a week we had a lab with John Steel. We got to make our own perfume using we could find in the botany department gardens; we even learnt that strawberries and raspberries aren’t actually true Kelsey making perfume with berries and we got to view microscopic spores that we prepared our‐ white roses. selves under microscopes. The small, friendly labs were thoroughly en‐ joyable and the demonstrators were very friendly and approachable.’ ‘Many of my friends and I have changed our majors or minors to botany after taking this paper. This paper is a great overall introduction into the world of plants and I would definitely recommend it to anyone inter‐ ested in plants, but also to those who haven’t yet thought about what botany has to offer; I can guarantee that you will enjoy it.’ Being a student rep… Eva Pomeroy is a third year student studying combined ecology and zoology honours and also demonstrating for ecology and botany. She loves the ecol‐ ogy/botany department because it’s small and friendly and the lecturers are helpful and encouraging. She also enjoys the hands on approach to both courses because it keeps her interested and can be quite fun. This year she is a student rep for ECOL 313—Ecology field course. ‘Being a student rep is a beneficial experience that doesn’t require much extra work.’ ‘I enjoy being student rep because I like contributing to how my papers are run and how they could be improved. At a rep meeting each student rep from the department gets to say how they think their paper is going including what is working well and what needs improvement. The lectur‐ ers and department heads present are very open to new suggestions and criticism as they are not always aware of what is felt at the student Plants nestled between rocks, level. I would recommend being a student rep if you are passionate Broderick Pass. about your subjects and feel that you can effectively communicate yours and your peers’ ideas. Although the improvement may not benefit you, you would hope that the student reps that had gone before you had done their best to improve the subject for your year and then you get a chance to pay it forward.’ Plant of the month Acer capillipes

Kyushu Maple, Red Snake Bark Maple Non‐native, ornamental

So, Autumn has quickly passed us by in all its usual glory and flying colours, namely all the falling leaves blowing around in the brisk sou‐westers we have been having lately. From the student ravaged streets of north Dunedin to the poncey avenues of Roslyn, many a lovely has been dropping its leaves ready for the onslaught of winter. The leaf blowers around uni have been running on over‐ time and everyone’s gutters are blocked, but I think it’s just a small price to pay for the overall enjoyment we get from Acer capillipes in the Dunedin . Botanic Gardens I was walking through the Dunedin Botanic Garden the other day and was particularly impressed by the bright colours being emitted by a small clump of trees above the track. On closer inspection I found that these trees were Acer capillipes, a species in the group of maples known as the ‘snake bark maples’. These maples are re‐ ferred to as snake barks due to the fact that the bark on mature stems looks a bit like snake skin. Apparently this appearance is due to wax building up in longitudinal fissures that form in the bark as trunks grow and expand causing white bands to form on the trunks. Acer capillipes usually grows into a small multi‐branched tree up to about 10m high and has large, glossy, lobed leaves which produce the most vibrant autumn colours, from bright red to orange and yellow. It produces (long clusters) of small greenish‐ yellow flowers, some of which form into pendulous clusters of samaras (winged seeds). These wings act like mini helicopter blades when the seed falls from the tree, helping propel it away from the base of the tree. This tree is a native of Japan, where it grows in the mountainous Snake skin bark of Acer capillipes areas of Honshu, Kyushu, and Shikoku, mainly in valleys next to mountain streams. It is grown all over the world as an ornamental tree for its foliage and bark, and is a good urban garden species as it doesn’t get too large and is attractive all year round. It is often confused with similar looking ‘snake barks’ such as , , and . If you want to see this tree just walk to the Dunedin Botanic Gar‐ den, cross the stream and head up the hill towards the bird aviary. There is a group of Acer capillipes right next to the main track though the arboretum, just next to the pine section. They won’t have any leaves at the moment so look out for the snakey bark. Close‐up of autumn foliage

Happy plant hunting!

Rowan Hindmarsh‐Walls UPCOMING EVENTS JUNE PHOTOS 4th Last day of lectures

4th Ecology Seminar ‘Juicy secrets: production and function of skin secretions in Leiopelmatid frogs’ Sabine Melzer, Dept. of Zoology 12noon Benham Seminar Room, Zoology Department

9th First day of exams

9th Botany Seminar ‘Plants on a high? The use of NZ living roofs to camouflage buildings, create sustainable buildings and enhance Flowering Euphrasia revoluta, Lewis Pass. biodiversity’ Dr Robyn Simcock, Landcare Research, Auckland 12noon Benham Seminar Room, Zoology Department

12th‐13th BSO Weekend Fungal Foray Are you interested in fungi? Contact [email protected] for more information

23rd Last day of exams

Cortinarius sp. in Nothofagus forest, West Tuapeka.

Mount Cook from the south end of Lake Pukaki.

Contact us Mossy beech forest, Lewis Pass. [email protected]