Director’s SUMMARY 2013 AUSTRALIAN TROPICAL HERBARIUM OUR VALUES OUR VISION Through leadership, integrity, service, innovation and 5PNBLFUIF"VTUSBMJBO5SPQJDBM)FSCBSJVNBMFBEFS team-building, these values and beliefs guide our in tropical plant biodiversity research, that conducts actions: diverse, relevant and innovative research; converts that research into useful products; ofers training, t 8FBSFDPNNJUUFEUPQSPWJEJOHMFBEFSTIJQJO JOTQJSBUJPOBOEFOHBHFNFOUXJUIUIFDPNNVOJUZ research and through such eforts be an exemplar BOE CZDPMMBCPSBUJOHXJUIPUIFST BDIJFWFTBHSFBUFS for others understanding of sustainable tropical systems. t 8FBSFEFEJDBUFEUPCFTUQSBDUJDFJOBMMPVS endeavours t 8FBSFSFTPMWFEUPQSPEVDFJOBUJNFMZNBOOFS innovative and relevant outputs t 8FBSFQMFEHFEUPTFFLCFUUFSXBZTBOECFUUFS science t 8FWBMVFBDPMMBCPSBUJWF FOHBHJOH DBSJOH approach to team-building. RESEARCH PARTNERS The Board, staf, students and associates of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) Australian Tropical Herbarium thank the following German Research Foundation funding partners for helping support our research. Grifth University/James Cook University Collaborative Grants Scheme Australian Biological Research Study (ABRS) JCU Centre for Tropical Biodiversity and Climate Australian Government Caring for our Country Change (CTBCC) Program (CfoC) JCU Centre for Tropical Environmental Australian Centre for International Agricultural Sustainability Science (TESS) Research (ACIAR) JCU Faculty of Science and Engineering (FSE) Australian Orchid Foundation (AOF) National Environmental Research Program (NERP) Australian Research Council (ARC) The Nature Conservancy (TNC) Australian Systematic Botany Society (ASBS) North Queensland Wildlife Trust (NQWT) BHP Billiton Cannington Community Fund Queensland Government Dept. Environmental Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (BiK-F), Heritage Protection (EHP) Frankfurt, Germany Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS) CSIRO Summer Student Program Skyrail Rainforest Foundation (SRF) Conservation International (CI), Critical Ecosystem Wet Tropics Management Authority (WTMA) Partnership Fund World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Daintree Rainforest Observatory (DRO) Flora Malesiana Foundation Grants to ATH personnel in 2013 totalled $546,000. Cover photo: Tiny mountain-top orchid, Bulbophyllum johnsonii. Photo: Andrea Lim. Inside cover photo: Rainforest, Speewah. CONTENTS Our Values Evolution and Systematics of Bromeliaceae 9 Our Vision Theme 2 – Threats and Impacts 11 Research Partners Threatened Endemic Plants of Palau 11 From the Director 2 Efects of Climate Change on The Wet Tropics Introduction 3 Mountain-Top Flora 11 2013 Highlights 3 Creating a Phylogenetic Heat Map Of Australia’s Flora: Governance 4 A New Measure To Conserve Biodiversity 11 Service 4 Theme 3 – Plants for People 11 Rainforest Plant Identifcation Workshops 4 Development and Delivery of Germplasm for Scientifc Enquiries 4 Sandalwood and Whitewood in Vanuatu and Northern Australia 11 Identifcations 4 Development of a PNG Timber Industry Based on Visitors 4 Community-Based Planted Forests: Design and Representative Roles (External) 5 Implementation of a National Germplasm Delivery Reviewing and Refereeing 5 System 12 Communications 5 Tropical Indigenous Ethnobotany Centre (TIEC) Media 5 Partnership 12 Website 5 Two-Way Knowledge - Building Synergies between Social Media 5 Indigenous Knowledge and The Atlas of Living Australia’s Facilities 6 Science 12 Herbarium 6 Mbabaram Traditional Plant Use Research 12 Public Reference Collection 6 Mapoon Traditional Plant Use Research 12 Library 6 Theme 4 – Planning and Management 13 Laboratory 6 Regional Ecosystem Mapping 13 DNA/Tissue Bank 6 Numerical Classifcation of Regional Ecosystems and Research 7 Patterns of Plant Diversity Distribution 13 Theme 1 – Biodiversity, Taxonomy, Evolution 7 Theme 5 – Unlocking our Knowledge 13 Re-evaluation of Taxonomic Concepts in Australian Rain Forest Key 13 Orchidaceae based on Molecular Phylogenetic Savanna Key 13 Evidence 7 Appendix 1 – Publications and Presentations 15 Phylogeography of Orchid Species Complexes of the Scientifc Papers 15 Australian Wet Tropics 7 General Publications (Unrefereed) 15 Origins of the Wet Tropics Flora – A Molecular Theses 16 Phylogenetic Perspective 7 Research Presentations 16 Phylogenetics and Evolutionary Dynamics of Community Talks 19 Elaeocarpaceae 8 Appendix 2 – Participants In Activities, 2013 20 Macrofungi of Northeast Queensland 8 Staf 20 Host Specifcity of Fungal Endophytes of Tropical Research Students 20 Australian Rainforests 8 Volunteers 20 Australian Animal/Plant Co-Evolution 9 DNA Barcoding of Ectomycorrhizal Hypogeous Fungi 9 ATH Staf and students. Back row (l-r) Kaylene Bransgrove, Frank Zich, Janani Jayanthan, Melissa Harrison, Andrew Thornhill, Stuart Worboys, Katharina Schulte, Ashley Field, Gerry Turpin. Front row (l-r): Eda Addicott, Andrea Lim, Darren Crayn. Absent: Sook-Ngoh Phoon, Yumiko Baba, Gary Wilson, Craig Costion, Lalita Simpson, Mark Newton, Sandra Abell-Davis, Tony Page. DIRECTOR’S SUMMARY 2013 1 FROM THE DIRECTOR As Director of the Australian Tropical Herbarium, it is of initiatives including the Tropical Indigenous satisfying to refect on the activities and achievements Ethnobotany Centre, the Regional Ecosystem of the organisation over 2013. We enjoyed a mapping program, the Plant Identifcation Workshops, successful year characterised by solid growth in and the award-winning ‘Rainforest Key’. Other ways in several key result areas and the achievement of all which we engage including roles on various external milestones and performance targets. advisory committees and boards and through contracted research activities. We continue to strive to A highlight of 2013 was Gerry Turpin’s winning of fnd new and better ways to deliver our science and the Deadly Award for Indigenous Scientist or Science ensure it has impact, such as the proposed Australian Project of the Year. This prestigious award honours Savanna Plant Information System (ASPIS). Gerry’s contribution to ethnobotanical research and science engagement in tropical Australia. The Tropical Since establishment in 2008 we have delivered Indigenous Ethnobotany Centre (TIEC) continues to strongly on our agenda, testament to the dedication build momentum through Gerry’s activities. and talent of our staf, students and associates. At the close of the sixth and penultimate year of operation Our research program continues to diversify under the current joint venture agreement, the ATH while retaining a core focus on plant systematics is looking forward to a renewed agreement and and biodiversity studies. Income to the ATH from continuing to develop our research, training and competitive external grants remains strong and outreach programs. research outputs of consistently high quality continue to increase in number year on year. We believe this It is my great pleasure to present this sixth annual is due in part to our commitment to building and Director’s Summary report. I hope you enjoy reading it. maintaining efective research partnerships – being good collaborative partners is what drives us. For research to have impact it must be accessible. ATH staf deliver the fruits of our research to end-users in Prof. Darren Crayn government and the community through a number Director, Australian Tropical Herbarium 2 AUSTRALIAN TROPICAL HERBARIUM INTRODUCTION 2013 HIGHLIGHTS The Australian Tropical Herbarium (ATH) is a joint Media: The ATH received considerable media venture of the Commonwealth Scientifc and Industrial coverage during 2013 including 15 print or online Research Organisation (CSIRO), Director National media articles, 4 radio interviews and TV coverage of Parks (DNP), Queensland Department of Science, the “Deadly Awards”. Information Technology, Innovation and the Arts Publications: 18 scientifc papers and 4 general (DSITIA), and James Cook University (JCU). The ATH’s articles were published, and 2 research student theses activities are overseen by the ATH Board comprising were submitted. representatives of the three main participants (CSIRO, JCU, DSITIA), the Director, and an independent chair. Presentations: 55 research talks were presented to The ATH is physically located within the Australian scientifc audiences, and 6 to community audiences. Tropical Forest Institute (ATFI) building on the Cairns campus of JCU, and administratively is part of JCU’s Research grants income: $546,000 in external Faculty of Science and Engineering (FSE). competitive research grant income was received. Postgraduate students: Dr Caroline Puente-Lelievre The Sir Robert Norman Building (housing ATFI was awarded her PhD in 2013 (JCU, “Systematics and and the ATH) was completed in November 2007 biogeography of the Styphelieae (Epacridoideae, and movement of the MBA and QRS collections Ericaceae)”, supervised by Darren Crayn, Elizabeth was completed by the start of February 2008. The Brown, Mark Harrington, and Paul Gadek). building was ofcially opened by The Hon. Anna Bligh, Premier of Queensland on 4 March 2008, and the inaugural Director commenced duty on 31 March 2008, the Operational Date of ATH. The ATH boasts state-of-the-art facilities and infrastructure for specimen processing, photography, pest and climate control, and feld, Herbarium and laboratory research. The main activity is management of the more than 170,000 plant specimens that comprise the CNS collection, a merger of the collections (and staf) of the Australian National Herbarium – Atherton (QRS), the Queensland