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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