1st Year Annual Report - Botany

Zoë Goodwin

Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh

Summary

Activity for the botanical aspect of the project began in July 2009 with the appointment of the UK

Botanist, Zoë Goodwin to the project staff through a contract at the Royal Botanic Garden

Edinburgh (RBGE). German Lopez was later appointed in January 2010 to the Belizean Botanist

position through a contract with the Environmental Research Institute (ERI) at the University of

Belize (UB).

A database for the savanna plants has been created using the BRAHMS database software (version

6.5). Over 4000 records of individual plant collections made in the lowland savannas of Belize by

different collectors have been obtained from a variety of sources, including the RBGE’s internal

collections and several databases of international plant collections. Each record has been checked

for consistency, duplicate plant names have been removed and the records entered into the database.

The first field season of plant collecting was carried out in Belize this year by the UK Darwin

Botanist, between September - October 2009. Around 400 botanical collections were made at nine

main locations. By combining these new data with existing information from the database, first

drafts of a Checklist of Savanna Plants and a Photoguide to the Common Savanna Plants have been

prepared. A journal paper based upon field collecting from another Belizean savanna in 2007 has

been edited and submitted for publication.

Two major botanical training courses have been delivered this year, as well as one-on-one training

given to the Belize Darwin Botanist during a one-month visit he made to the UK in March 2010.

As explained in the budget change request (submitted January 2010), two unforeseen issues affected

the progress of the botanical work this year. The first field collecting season had to be curtailed due

to the unexpected ill health of the UK botanist Zoë Goodwin. Secondly, the appointment of the

Belizean Botanist had to be delayed until January 2010 because the University of Belize was unable

to advertise the post until November 2009. The reorganisation that was required has in fact created

some opportunities to make improvements in the overall project delivery.

The following sections describe the progress of the activities in the project’s Logical framework.

Plant diversity surveys conducted in lowland savanna (Activity 1.3)

Seventeen reconnaissance sites were visited by team members including Zoë Goodwin, Samuel

Bridgewater, Iain Cameron, Peter Furley, Neil Stuart and Duncan Moss (NS and DM were absent

for the last 6 sites). At these sites species lists and vegetation structure was recorded from

observations by Zoë Goodwin and Samuel Bridgewater and rapid soil profiles (to 50cm) were dug.

Figure 1 Open savanna site in Toledo.

Full soil profiles and descriptions for the main savanna types will be undertaken in the second field

season. Rapid botanical surveys were conducted at nine lowland savanna sites by Zoë Goodwin,

Samuel Bridgewater and Eduardo Barrientos in late September and October 2009. At each site

within an area of approximately 25 x 25 m a full vegetation description and species list was

compiled, with known species recorded and unknown or unusual species collected. This focused

species list was augmented with wide patrolling around the core area. This field season was cut

short due to the ill health of Zoë Goodwin in mid-October. However 200 plant specimen collections

and around 200 species observations were made across the nine core sites (with a mean of 45 taxa

recorded at each site). For further details see Appendix 1.

In January 2010, the RBGE MSc Biodiversity and Taxonomy of Plants field trip to Belize collected

quantitative data on pine, oak, forest thicket and gallery forest composition and structure supervised

by project staff, in addition to a further 97 plant specimens from the savanna and surrounding forest.

Determination of savanna collections using UK herbaria and literature (Activity 1.5)

Over 200 savanna specimens in the existing savanna collections held at RBGE have been identified

by Zoë Goodwin between July 2009 and April 2010 or have been determined by students of the

RBGE MSc Biodiversity and Taxonomy of Plants course and approved by Zoë Goodwin.

Determinations of the collections shall continue as specimens continue to be collected and as

groups of taxa are examined.

Recuration of savanna collections at Belize national herbarium (Activity 1.6)

Although this activity is not expected to start until year 2, a preliminary assessment of the state of

the collections was made by David Harris and Elspeth Haston during the Herbarium User Course in

January 2010. The specimens in the herbarium are in good condition, a significant proportion of the

repatriated specimens have been mounted recently and the herbarium has received new cabinets;

however it was observed that the determinations of many specimens require updating.

Development of a savanna plant distribution database (Activity 1.7)

Collection data for approximately 4000 savanna specimens has been collated and imported to create

the Darwin Savanna Plant database from three herbaria: Missouri Botanical Garden (MO) 2872,

RBGE (E) 707 and the Natural History Museum, London (BM) 406 (note some of these records

will be duplicates held at multiple herbaria). The list of vascular plant species that occur in the

savanna currently contains approximately 1,100 species in 125 families and 465 genera.

As good practice the complete data set gathered from the 406 specimens from the Natural History

Museum’s (BM) collections was returned electronically to the BM curatorial team. Thus this

information should soon become available through their online catalogue.

Training in field botany, taxonomy and herbarium curation (Activity 1.8)

Four Belizeans received 10 days of botanical training from UK staff during the RBGE MSc

Biodiversity and Taxonomy of Plants field course in January 2010 (Appendices 2 and 3). University

of Belize technician, Eduardo Barrientos received further training and practical experience in plant

collection and surveying while working with Zoë Goodwin in October 2009 (10 days). The basic

Herbarium User Course run in January 2010 for three days was attended by thirteen local

professionals (Attendance list in Appendix 4).

Figures 2-3: Lecturers and attendees of the Herbarium User course run in Belmopan, January 2010 (left);

Eduardo Barrientos collecting Curculigo scorzonerifolia near Maskall.

German Lopez (Belizean Botanist) attended both the RBGE MSc Biodiversity and Taxonomy of

Plants January 2010 field course and the Herbarium User course. Additionally he attended a 10 day

botanical field course run by Dr Elma Kay (UB) held at Mountain Pine Ridge, and he visited the

UK (1st – 25th

March) for training in Herbarium database software, herbarium taxonomy, plant

identification and Arc-GIS .

Figures 4-5: German Lopez collecting plants on the RBGE MSc Biodiversity and Taxonomy of Plants in January

2010 (left) and in the herbarium at RBGE (right).

Checklist of savanna plants highlighting species of conservation importance drafted (Activity 2.1)

A paper containing a checklist of Belizean savanna plants was drafted in November 2009, with

frequent exports of the checklist from the database aiding work in checking and ‘cleaning’ plant

names in the database. It is intended that the checklist will be published as a paper discussing the

classification of the savanna, past collection history, collection patterns and species of conservation

importance. The checklist will provide an indication of habit (tree, shrub, herb etc), habitat

preference (forest, savanna, wetland etc) and a list of voucher specimens (Draft included in

Appendix 5).

Photographic savanna fieldguide developed and field tested (Activity 5.1)

A photoguide to the common savanna plants was drafted in December 2009 (Sample pages included

in Appendix 6 to illustrate). The photoguide is still being developed using newly acquired imagery,

updated identifications and feedback from field-testing (such as the field course in January 2010).

Additional Activities

Paper on San Pastor Savanna

A thesis submitted by Jeff Hicks in 2007 as part of the MSc in Biodiversity and Taxonomy of Plants

course was revised, updated and completed by Zoë Goodwin and submitted to Edinburgh Journal of

Botany in March 2010. The paper describes the San Pastor Savanna, a disjunct patch of savanna in

the Chiquibul Forest of Belize; 125 species of vascular plants were found including one new species

for the country and 28 species new to the Chiquibul. The paper also states the case for a full

investigation into the savanna flora of Belize, which is currently in progress. (See Appendix 7.)

Public Engagement in Science – Specimen Preparation Demonstration of Savanna Plants

from Belize

At the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh’s new

visitor centre, the John Hope Gateway, a regular

weekly event ‘Behind the Scenes at the

Botanics’ was launched in March 2010. These

events are designed to show visitors what

goes on at the Botanic Garden.

The first session on Wednesday 24th

March

focused on the plants of the Belizean savanna.

Taking the form of a herbarium mounting

demonstration by RBGE staff member Jane

Corrie, Jane discussed with members of the

public about the process and function of

mounting plant specimens. This was

accompanied by explanations about the

plants, the area they come from and the

importance of herbarium specimens to the

work of this Darwin Project and RBGE. All

the specimens, information and photos were

provided by the Darwin Project.

Further demonstrations are scheduled for

March 31st, April 21

st, April 28

th, May 5

th,

May 19th

and May 26th

2010.

Figure 6 Belizean savanna specimens set up for a

mounting demonstration.

Contribution towards a new Belizean Natural History Book

‘A Natural History of Belize: Insights from Las Cuevas Research Station’, a book by Samuel

Bridgewater discussing the natural history of the Belize was accepted for publication after peer

review by Texas University Press in the autumn of 2009. The chapter covering the savanna

ecosystems of Belize featured information, maps and photos about the lowland savannas provided

by this Darwin Project.

Appendix 1 – Field Season One Report

Appendix 2 – MSc Field Course Report

Appendix 3 – MSc Field Course Handbook

Appendix 4 – Herbarium User Course Report

Appendix 5 – Copy of Draft Checklist

Appendix 6 – Sample of Draft Photoguide

Appendix 7 – Copy of San Pastor Paper as submitted