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A Phd in Plant Geekery....

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alanelliott:
What I do when not swanning about taking pictures in the Alpine house here in the Garden.

I've been a member of the SRGC since 2006 [I think]. I was press ganged by Boyd Barr, Ed Stone and Steve McNamara when I was a Horticulture student getting some work experience at Branklyn Garden. I have been lucky enough to be supported by the SRGC on a number of occassions to get me to where I am today. So I am going to share with you what I do here at Royal Botanic Garden Edinbrugh (RBGE).

I am in what I see as the enviable position of not only being able to cultivate alpines at home for the sheer enjoyment and frustration of it, but I also get to do research on the influence of the Himalaya has had on mega-diversity of plant life (with a focus broadly on alpines) found there. This also comes with plenty of enjoyment and frustration.

I am currently in year three of a four year studentship funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) with the University of Edinburgh, but as many of you will know I am based at RBGE. My project has the grandiose title of Phylogeography and the dynamics of speciation in the Himalaya. Hopefully by the end of this series of posts we'll have a fair idea what its all about.

I am also lucky in that I’ve had the opportunity to participate in fieldwork in the Nepal Himalaya - supported by the SRGC. In 2012 I took part in the Japanese Society of Himalayan Botany led expedition to the Api Himal in Far West Nepal. www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=9543.0 - plenty of pretty pictures there.

This year I am hoping to join the RBGE led expedition starting in Baglung District then through Jajarakot  and into Dolpa district. We are specifically aiming for the type localities of several Nepalese endemic species, including Clematis phlebantha and Primula ramzanae - Phoksundo Tal visited by Polunin Sykes and Williams. These collection trips gather plant material to create herbarium specimens and also bits of leaf that we store in silica gel for later molecular analysis. We are no longer able to collect living material as there is a blanket ban on the export of all living material and seed from Nepal. Even buying chilli seed at a market in Kathmandu will end up confiscated at the airport. As frustrating as that is we have to respect the laws of the country as we would expect visitors to respect ours.

My project has three distinct threads.

* Some alpha taxonomy - describing the diversity of Clematis found in Nepal.

* The phylogeography of Clematis in the Himalaya - using the genetic relationships of the species and analysing the geographic distributions
* and a Meta-Analysis of existing published phylogenies - this will hopefully give a bigger picture of how evolution has happened in the Himalaya
I'll go through each of these bits in turn over the next wee while.

But here some images from 2012 in Darchula. Mountains and international scientific collaboration in action.

David Nicholson:
Looking forward to more Alan. Yet another attempt (probably doomed to failure as a result of the lack of intellect from the student rather than from the lecturer) to give me even a basic understanding of the scientific world.

johnralphcarpenter:
Very interesting. You say "We are no longer able to collect living material as there is a blanket ban on the export of all living material and seed from Nepal". I have just received a flyer inviting me to buy shares in a seed collecting expedition to Nepal in September and October. Participants are Dr Paul Bygrave of Forde Abbey, David Howard, former Head Gardener at Highgrove, and Ray Brown of Plant World in Devon. So how does that work? Could it be the Highgrove connection - HRH pulling a few strings?

alanelliott:

--- Quote from: johnralphcarpenter on February 20, 2014, 08:53:14 PM ---I have just received a flyer inviting me to buy shares in a seed collecting expedition to Nepal in September and October. Participants are Dr Paul Bygrave of Forde Abbey, David Howard, former Head Gardener at Highgrove, and Ray Brown of Plant World in Devon. So how does that work? Could it be the Highgrove connection - HRH pulling a few strings?

--- End quote ---

John

Interesting.

It will be 100% illegal and it has been that way for a several years now. Law categorically states that no living material including seed can be collected or removed from the country, no ifs no buts. I know that collectors have been selling seed from Nepal in recent years, I'm not naming any names but I'm sure people are well aware of who they are.

However the recent uptdate to the legislation in Nepal has tightened the law further. The legislation now covers Nepalese nationals too. They are now no longer allowed to collect plants and seed without a permit - one way people were side stepping the legislation by getting people in-country to collect on their behalf.

I know some folk are still in the mindset that its ok to collect plants saying what hard would it do to collect a few plants? Looking at it on the flipside I'm sure there would be an outcry here if collectors came to the UK and helped themselves to some of the remaining populations of Primula scotica in Sutherland and Primula farinosa in Teesdale. As sad as it is the world has change and people have to accept it.

alanelliott:

--- Quote from: David Nicholson on February 20, 2014, 07:00:22 PM ---Looking forward to more Alan. Yet another attempt (probably doomed to failure as a result of the lack of intellect from the student rather than from the lecturer) to give me even a basic understanding of the scientific world.

--- End quote ---

David. You and me both.

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