Archive - January 2010

« Back to front

Spreading the Word

Tue, Jan 26, 2010 at 02:23:21 PM

Six years ago I had come to St John’s to give a department seminar at Memorial University about Fairchild’s South Florida Conservation Program. Today, the number of graduate students doing conservation research is thriving at the university. For the second time I had a chance to teach a course to a cross-disciplinary group of students. Today I discussed three of our rare species and asked students to develop conservation recommendations under a constrained budget. They had a lively debate. I was pleased to see that the students recommended ex situ conservation as a valuable conservation strategy. Within the past two decades the acceptance of and respect for ex situ conservation (seed banking and botanical garden collections) has grown. This means that the work botanical gardens have been doing for years is gaining more prominence and importance in our changing world.

During my last visit, I also met with the director of Memorial University Botanic Garden to discuss international opportunities in conservation. Today the garden board, staff and director are busy with master planning. In this small community this garden is well-loved.

The new Dr. Squires surronded by
her examining committee.

I’m happy to report that the student passed her dissertation defense with flying colors. She did a fine job on her presentation and handled questions with ease and confidence. Her committee was duly impressed. Unlike my own doctoral defense, this one had a more structured protocol. There was a set order for questions to be asked. As the outside examiner, I asked questions first to the candidate while the audience of her friends and family watched. Then the other two examining committee members followed with their questions. The major professor and graduate school representative also asked questions, but the audience could only observe. Also different from our system was the practice of withholding examining committee comments on the dissertation until the hour of the defense. That means that today the candidate is busily making some corrections to her dissertation before turning in her binding-ready copy to the graduate college tomorrow. That’s PRESSURE! But I’m sure she’ll do just fine. And I’m looking forward to seeing more of those chapters published!

Now I’m heading back to Miami to warmer temperatures and sunshine. At the airport I relinquished to Louise the wonderful down jacket that Trevor graciously had loaned me during my stay in St. John’s. Thank you Trevor!

I hope you are all toasty warm whether in front of a fire or out in the sunshine.

Joyce

Comment - (0 comments)

Serving on Graduate Student Committees

Mon, Jan 25, 2010 at 02:18:36 PM

As one of my roles as conservation ecologist at Fairchild, I serve on committees of graduate students in the Miami area and in other parts of the world. This service is really a two-way exchange, as I can learn a great deal from the students with whom I work and I hope they can learn something from my experience too.

I’ve come to St. John’s Canada, to serve on the dissertation committee of a doctoral student, who has been studying at Memorial University. (Nighttime temperatures are 7^oF and daytime temperatures don’t reach 30^oF! Brrrrrrr! And we thought it was cold in early January! I feel a bit like the Pillsbury doughboy, as I am wearing every warm thing I own.) While here giving a department seminar about Fairchild’s South Florida Conservation Program several years ago, I met this student when she was just beginning her dissertation research. Interested in the impacts of an agricultural pest moth on a rare species of Brassicaceae, Susan’s research overlapped with several of my own interests. Her major professor, Dr. Luise Hermanutz and I met while we were both on sabbatical at Kings Park Botanic Garden in Perth, Australia. In the small worldwide community of plant conservationists, it’s been my delight to serve as her external examiner. It is nice to witness a young scientist make good contributions to the fields of plant demography, reintroduction conservation biology, and plant-herbivore ecology.

In Canada, the doctoral candidate and the committee wear full academic robes to the oral defense, so this will be quite a formal event. I’m looking forward to it!

Comment - (0 comments)

The Sea is Rising

Thu, Jan 21, 2010 at 01:35:49 PM

One of the serious growing threats to biodiversity of coastal species is sea level rise. Fortunately, many scientists are taking proactive measures to address this serious concern. Dr. Reed Noss of University of Central Florida and the Florida Institute for Conservation Science organized a cross-disciplinary Sea Level Rise Workshop from Jan 18-20, 2010 at Archbold Biological Station. I was invited to discuss the work Fairchild has done with the Key Tree Cactus in the Florida Keys. Joining me were geologists, paleobotanists, anthropologists, conservation biologists, an attorney, a landscape architect, land managers, federal and state agency personnel, who gave presentations about their work related to this topic. It was amazing and daunting to hear about the magnitude of this problem.

The Newfoundland shore

Recent estimates indicate that the sea may be rising more rapidly than previously imagined. More accurate measures, such as the change in mass of Greenland detected by the GRACE satellite, indicate more rapid melting that will supply 5 mm/year over previous estimates of the rising sea. Although there are differing opinions, some recent publications predict a rise of 1 meter conservatively by the end of the century.

Considering that South Florida has much of its land area below 4 meters, there is much at risk. Low lying areas such as the Florida Keys where the Key Tree Cactus grows are already showing signs of decline. Rising sea level also exacerbates the impacts of storm surges. Again, although there are differing opinions, some recent evidence indicates that storm intensity is increasing.

Why Restoration is Important

Those present at the workshop felt that a high priority was to describe the areas in the state with the greatest exposure and vulnerability. With this information it is hoped that policymakers can begin planning for changing conditions to come. It is estimated that many rare animals and rare plants are threatened by sea level rise. But it is not only plants and animals, but human settlements that are also at risk. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Florida Natural Areas Inventory, The Nature Conservancy and some municipalities have already begun reviewing aspects of this issue. FIU researchers have just received funding to assess the impacts of sea level rise on economic, human and biological systems in South Florida.

Hearing such predictions can cause many to feel discouraged and ask, “Why should we bother restoring rare plant populations along the coast if they are all going to be underwater in one to two hundred years?” The short answer is that it is in our best interest to protect our shorelines with healthy ecosystems. Improving the health of ecosystems can increase their resiliency and ability to cope with the changes that are coming. Because mangroves and coastal strand ecosystems can diffuse the energy from storm surge, our cities are better protected when natural coastal communities are also protected. See www.mangroveactionproject.org for more information about mangroves.

“Why should we bother restoring the Everglades if they are all going to be underwater in one to two hundred years?” The short answer is it is in our best interest to protect our drinking water supply. Yes, restoring the fresh water flow levels to the Everglades is a good thing to do. I learned at this workshop that the reason is complex. First, mangroves require fresh water to remain healthy and recover from disturbance. Second, at the southern end of the Everglades there is a submerged limestone ridge that plays an essential role in maintaining South Florida’s fresh water aquifer. The ridge integrity is maintained by the fresh water flow from the north. Without this freshwater flow, the ridge and aquifer would be compromised.

The Workshop ended with a conviction by participants to carry on with press releases, publications in peer-reviewed literature, and a white paper for legislators and interested parties. It is our hope to hold another meeting tentatively scheduled for August 10-12 at Fairchild, which will be a larger forum for policymakers and scientists.

Comment - (3 comments)