Australian Systematic Botany Society Newsletter 130 (March 2007) AUSTRALIAN SYSTEMATIC BOTANY SOCIETY INCORPORATED Council President Vice President John Clarkson Darren Crayn Centre for Tropical Agriculture Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney PO Box 1054 Mrs Macquaries Road Mareeba, Queensland 4880 Sydney NSW 2000 tel: (07) 4048 4745 tel: (02) 9231 8111 email: [email protected] email: [email protected] Secretary Treasurer Kirsten Cowley Anna Monro Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research Australian National Herbarium Australian National Herbarium GPO Box 1600, Canberra ACT 2601 GPO Box 1600 tel: (02) 6246 5024 Canberra ACT 2601 email: [email protected] tel: (02) 6246 5472 email: [email protected] Councillor Dale Dixon Councillor Northern Territory Herbarium Marco Duretto Parks & Wildlife Commission of the NT Tasmanian Herbarium PO Box 496 Private Bag 4 Palmerston, NT 0831 Hobart, Tasmania 7001 tel.: (08) 8999 4512 tel.: (03) 6226 1806 email: [email protected] email: [email protected] Other Constitutional Bodies Public Officer Hansjörg Eichler Research Committee Kirsten Cowley Barbara Briggs Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research Rod Henderson Australian National Herbarium Betsy Jackes (Contact details above) Tom May Chris Quinn Chair: Darren Crayn, Vice President (ex officio) Grant applications close: 14th Mar/Sep annually Affiliate Society Papua New Guinea Botanical Society ASBS Web site www.anbg.gov.au/asbs Webmaster: Murray Fagg Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research Australian National Herbarium Email: [email protected] Loose inclusions with this issue ● Nominations for positions on ASBS Council Publication dates of previous issue Austral.Syst.Bot.Soc.Nsltr 129 (December 2006 issue) Hardcopy: 9th February 2007; ASBS Web site: 12th February 2007 Australian Systematic Botany Society Newsletter 130 (March 2007) From the President In March 2005, a letter was sent to the then Federal landscape (i.e. their distribution) and, to some extent, Minister for the Environment and Heritage, their ecology. It is a modern science, informed by molecular analyses and careful study of organisms in Senator the Hon. Ian Campbell, to solicit his the field and in museum and herbarium collections, support for a scheme to enhance the funding base enabling rapid and predictive biological diagnostic for the Australian Biological Resources Study to work to be undertaken when needed by industry, enable more research grants and post-graduate public health, water resource organisations, quarantine, scholarships to be awarded per annum (Austral. Landcare, marine science and conservation. Syst. Bot. Soc. Nsltr 122: 3–4). The letter was Australia’s Biodiversity co-signed by Mark Harvey (then President of Nearly 500,000 species are thought to exist in Australia, of which only a small fraction are currently named. The the Society of Australian Systematic Biologists), following table outlines our current estimates of the Ian Naumann (then President of the Australian extent of most of the biota. Entomological Society), Stephen Hopper (then Importance of Taxonomic/Systematic Research President of the Australian Systematic Botany There are numerous examples of enormous increases in Society) and Andy Austin (Director of the Centre previously unknown species that represent significant for Evolutionary Biology and Biodiversity, biological challenges. The discovery of 300 new species University of Adelaide). The letter was copied of Australian gum trees (eucalypts) in the last 20 years shows that even large organisms are still being found. to ABRS and used within the Department of The discovery of large numbers of insects and other Environment and Heritage to garner support invertebrate animals living in underground caverns and for an application to the Federal Government to water bodies in arid central Australia has astounded increase the funding base for ABRS. Face-to-face the biological community. This so-called ‘stygofauna’ (organisms living in underground water) includes whole meetings were held with various ministers and groups of blind beetles and small crustaceans that were assistant ministers, as well as a phone hook-up completely unknown only a few years ago. Many of between the presidents, the Chair of the ABRS these species have very small natural distributions. The Advisory Committee and the then Assistant discovery of stygofauna in areas of resource exploration Minister for the Environment and Heritage, Mr and mining development has triggered a response from State and Federal agencies to ensure that no species is Greg Hunt. likely to become extinct as a result of any mining or related activity. In a similar way, the documentation Whilst the push for additional funds for ABRS of the Australian biota and the development of a sound received a sympathetic hearing, the latest cabinet taxonomic knowledge base are of critical importance reshuffle has meant that the department has a to identifying insect pests in agriculture, species that can contaminate food exports, identifying our marine new Minister, the Hon. Malcolm Turnbull. It now resources, and recognising biosecurity threats to our seems opportune to acquaint Mr Turnbull with continent. Taxonomic information is also crucial in our arguments, as that knowledge has likely not understanding the processes that govern the sustainable passed to him from the previous minister. The use of Australia’s water resources, including the numerous microorganisms that live in our waterways following is a transcript of the letter sent. and deliver crucial ecosystem services. Dear Minister Essentially, all these areas form key components of the Re: Australian Biological Resources Study Australian Government’s National Research Priority The task of identifying, naming and understanding area - An Environmentally Sustainable Australia. the Australian biota is an immense and important one We believe that the increasing skills shortage and that is currently suffering from a significant skills diminished research capacity in taxonomy can be solved shortage. We believe this shortage, without government at relatively modest cost by implementing or enhancing intervention, will become serious to the point where it three programs. will jeopardise the conservation of Australia’s biological 1. New ABRS Postdoctoral Fellowship Scheme. diversity and key areas of several natural resource This would be a new initiative modelled on industries. We strongly believe that the solution to this the Australian Research Council postdoctoral impending crisis is best tackled through an enhanced training program and additional research funding to the Australian Table 1. The table included in the letter to the Minister on diversity and extent of taxonomic Biological Resources Study that knowledge of Australia’s major biotic gropus will expedite the next generation of scientific expertise in this area and % Described % Undescribed Estimated # Spp. the delivery of taxonomic names Terrestrial Vertebrates 98 2 2,500 and their associated biological information. Vascular Plants 70 30 25,000 The science of taxonomy and Marine Invertebrates 30 70 80,000 systematics are interrelated biological disciplines. Taxonomy Terrestrial Arthropods 25 75 255,000 is the process of naming and Other Terrestrial describing new species. Systematics Invertebrates 15 85 60,000 is the science of determining how Fungi 15 85 50,000 these species are related to each other, where they occur in the Total 472,500 1 Australian Systematic Botany Society Newsletter 130 (March 2007) scheme. It would fund two Fellows per year for on government policy and national need. However, a period of three years, selected on the basis of without such increases, it is clear that the current limited excellence. Each Fellowship would be awarded administered funds for ABRS will soon start to fail in $90,000 (salary, on-costs and research funding) delivering on its core role as the provider of high-quality to pursue taxonomic research within a university knowledge on the taxonomy of the Australian biota. or government research laboratory. These early We thank you for your interest in this matter, and we career researchers would represent the next wave of request that you meet with a small group of us to discuss systematist scientists ready to fill the skills shortage this matter further. TOTAL COST $600,000 per annum. 2. Expanded ABRS PhD Scholarship program. The On behalf of the 2,600 members of our scientific ABRS currently funds only one new PhD scholarship societies/organisations, per year, each of which runs for three years, at a total cost of approximately $85,000 per year. This The letter was co-signed by Chris Lambkin, program should be immediately expanded to fund President of the Society of Australian Systematic two additional PhD students per year. These students Biologists, Jonathan Majer, President of the would be based at universities around the country Australian Entomological Society, Peter and sometimes affiliated with other key research Fairweather, President of the Ecological organisations (e.g. State herbaria, museums, CSIRO). TOTAL ADDITIONAL COST: $200,000 per annum. Society of Australia and myself of behalf of the 3. Enhanced ABRS Research Grants Scheme. The Australian Systematic Botany Society. The letter ABRS Research Grants Scheme currently distributes was also signed by Bob Hill, Convenor of the $1,875,000 towards the study of the systematics of ARC Environmental Future’s Network and Andy the