{"id":442,"date":"2013-12-12T14:51:26","date_gmt":"2013-12-12T19:51:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nybg.org\/science-talk\/?p=442"},"modified":"2013-12-13T09:50:44","modified_gmt":"2013-12-13T14:50:44","slug":"journey-to-brazil-searching-for-an-answer-to-a-botanical-problem-in-espirito-santo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nybg.org\/blogs\/science-talk\/2013\/12\/journey-to-brazil-searching-for-an-answer-to-a-botanical-problem-in-espirito-santo\/","title":{"rendered":"Journey to Brazil: Searching for an Answer to a Botanical Problem in Espir\u00edto Santo"},"content":{"rendered":"

Scott A. Mori<\/a> is the Nathaniel Lord Britton Curator of Botany at the The New York Botanical Garden<\/i><\/a>, and his primary<\/i> research interests are the ecology, classification, and conservation of tropical rain forest trees. His most recent book is <\/i><\/em>Tropical Plant Collecting<\/a>: From the Field to the Internet<\/a>. This is the second in a three-part series<\/a> documenting his latest trip to Brazil.
\n<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

\n
\"The<\/a>
The Brazil nut team in Espir\u00edto Santo. Left to right: Nate Smith, Anderson Aves Ara\u00fajo, Michel Ribeiro, and Scott Mori.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

During two weeks in November, three colleagues and I explored the remnant woodlands\u00a0of the once-abundant Atlantic coastal forest of Esp<\/a>\u00ed<\/a>rito Santo<\/a>,\u00a0a Brazilian state\u00a0on the Atlantic coast just north of Rio de Janeiro. We were searching\u00a0for poorly known species of the Brazil nut family, whose scientific name is Lecythidaceae, and we were especially interested in collecting in Esp\u00edrito Santo because it is an area of intensive human development. Only a fraction of the natural habitat remains.<\/p>\n

The trip followed\u00a0my\u00a0visit to the Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden, where I taught a short course on the Brazil nut family<\/a>. Joining me\u00a0were\u00a0Michel Ribeiro, who is preparing a treatment of the Brazil nut\u00a0family\u00a0as part of his master’s degree requirements; Anderson Alves-Ara\u00fajo, a botany professor at the Federal University of Espir\u00edto Santo who is one of Michel’s advisors;\u00a0and Nate Smith,\u00a0a specialist in\u00a0the Brazil family and an Honorary Research Associate at The New York Botanical Garden.
\n<\/p>\n

\"Michel<\/a>
Michel climbing a tree of Couratari asterophora<\/em> to collect a flowering specimen.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We started\u00a0by studying collections at\u00a0four\u00a0herbaria<\/a>,\u00a0one in Rio de Janeiro and\u00a0three in northern Esp\u00edrito Santo. We identified specimens,\u00a0dissected flowers, and examined fruits and seeds to gather data that\u00a0Michel can\u00a0use in writing scientific descriptions of Brazil nut species. There are only 12 known Lecythidaceae species in Esp\u00edrito Santo, and most of them are well-known.\u00a0However, species of the Brazil-nut genus Couratari<\/em> still present classification problems, which are most easily resolved by studying trees in their native habitats.<\/p>\n

And so our next step was to travel to\u00a0three biological reserves (C\u00f3rrego do Veado, C\u00f3rrego Grande, and Sooretama) in the northern part of the state to see the trees for ourselves. Michel had gotten government permission to\u00a0collect specimens, but because\u00a0species in the Brazil nut family\u00a0are often large trees, Michel sometimes had to climb the trees and use a clipper pole<\/a> to cut branches bearing flowers or fruits.<\/p>\n

In all, we made 42 collections of four genera and 12 species of Lecythidaceae. We were especially fortunate to gather specimens\u00a0of four different species of Couratari<\/em>, including many with flowers and fruit. That allowed us\u00a0to find previously unknown differences in the flowers of these\u00a0species. In addition, we came to the realization that collections that were previously identified\u00a0as the Amazonian Couratari macrosperma<\/em> may, in fact, not be that species. Michel will now write descriptions of the species of Couratari<\/em> from eastern Brazil and\u00a0study Amazonian collections of Couratari macrosperma<\/em> to find out if there is support for our hypothesis that the eastern Brazilian population represents a different species from its Amazonian relatives.<\/p>\n

\"An<\/a>
An inflorescence of Couratari asterophora<\/em> with an open flower.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This trip reaffirmed our belief that an understanding of the classification, evolution, ecology, and conservation of tropical plants depends upon the study of herbarium specimens combined with the collection and examination of living plants in the field. The data we gathered will help us advance one of the primary missions of Botanical Garden scientists: providing information to\u00a0conservation biologists and governmental agencies\u00a0so they understand what species grow where.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
Longitudinal sections of the male part of two flowers showing differences in the flowers of Couratari asterophora<\/em> and C. asterotricha<\/em>. Flower at left was taken in the field and flower at right from a pickled collection archived at the Federal University of Espir\u00edto Santo.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

With this information, biological reserves can be established in places where they will protect the greatest plant and animal diversity. Not knowing what to protect might mean that species could be driven to extinction before they are even known. To see what we have already learned about the species of Lecythidaceae in this area, visit our Web site,\u00a0Conservation Status of the Lecythidaceae of Eastern Brazil<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n

Next week, I will consider\u00a0the conservation of plant diversity along the eastern coast of Brazil based on what I saw on this expedition.<\/p>\n

Support for our expedition was provided\u00a0by the\u00a0School of Tropical Botany<\/a> of the Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden and the Mohammed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Scott Mori’s botanical team braves the treetops in search of poorly-known Brazil nut specimens.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":446,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false},"categories":[116],"tags":[132,84,117,134,130,129,133,131,71],"yoast_head":"\nJourney to Brazil: Searching for an Answer to a Botanical Problem in Espir\u00edto Santo - Science Talk Archive<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nybg.org\/blogs\/science-talk\/2013\/12\/journey-to-brazil-searching-for-an-answer-to-a-botanical-problem-in-espirito-santo\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Journey to Brazil: Searching for an Answer to a Botanical Problem in Espir\u00edto Santo - 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