Botany

Supervisory Team: Dr Timothy C. Baldwin (Reader in Plant Cell Biology), Dr Steven Bachman (Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew)

About the Project:

Tropical montane rain forests are biodiversity hotspots, uniquely threatened by climate change and deforestation. Characterised by cool temperatures, high humidity and periodic or persistent cloud immersion, these ecosystems host many endemic species specialised for life in high moisture environments. As the climate warms, cloud bases will rise, and the duration of cloud immersion will consequently decrease. The impact of this climate disruption is often exacerbated by forest fragmentation, resulting in extreme risk of extinction for many species endemic to this environment.

Current evidence suggests that declining humidity and the loss of cloud immersion will strongly affect epiphytes, particularly drought-sensitive taxa. Moreover, little is known of the pollination syndromes and breeding systems of the majority of these species. Many are poorly recorded, and often still unidentified. One such genus of epiphytes, is the Andean orchid genus Restrepia, which the supervisory team (Dr Baldwin and Dr Bachman) have studied for many years.

Considering the issues described above, the objectives of this project will be to undertake the first, International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) validated, study of current threats posed to Restrepia and trends in extinction risk over time (Red List status and Index) this will be performed in collaboration with the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew under the supervision of Dr Bachman. In conjunction with the Red Listing component of the proposed study, a detailed analysis of the floral ultrastructure of a model species (R. brachypus) using both light and transmission electron microscopy (supervised by Dr Baldwin at the University of Wolverhampton), will be performed, to further our understanding of the reproductive biology of these plants, which is crucial to the proposed analysis of the continued genetic viability of the genus.

The expected outputs for this project will result include the completion of Red List assessments for all 61 species of Restrepia and the identification of the major threat drivers and conservation actions required. In addition, trends in extinction risk over time will be charted, using the Red List Index covering the past three decades. Assessments will be submitted for publication on the IUCN Red List with a supporting dataset of digitised and georeferenced Restrepia occurrences. In conjunction with a better understanding of the reproductive biology of these species, the published Red List assessments will underpin potential conservation interventions made through regional (e.g. Colombia Plant Specialist Group) and international agencies (e.g. IUCN). As well as publication on the IUCN Red List, knowledge dissemination of the outputs of this research will occur via research conferences and publication in open access journals, with the broadest possible reach.

For more information:

For an informal discussion please contact via direct email Dr Timothy Baldwin (T.Baldwin@wlv.ac.uk)

Complete Form Below and email to RDSS@wlv.ac.uk.