Reviving the Ancient Charm: Unlocking the Secrets of Ferns with the PteridoPortal

The Florida Museum of Natural History has partnered with 35 herbarium collections across the United States to create a web portal for ferns. Yes, you read that right – ferns! The plants with curly leaves that grow in shady places have been around for over 400 million years, developing roots and leaves before dinosaurs even existed.

Ferns, along with their related group called lycophytes, were the first to evolve the botanical equivalent of a circulatory system. This allowed them to grow into the first trees, altering Earth’s barren landscapes by breaking up rock with their roots and dissolving it in acid. The process pulled carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, causing an ice age and resulting in the second mass extinction of life on Earth.

Today, there are over 10,000 species of ferns and lycophytes, making them the second-most diverse group of vascular plants. “You can’t understand plant diversity without including ferns,” says Michael Sundue, an integrative taxonomist at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh in Scotland.

The PteridoPortal, a collaborative effort funded by the National Science Foundation, aims to create an online repository for information about fern specimens stored in museums around the world. The portal has already digitized hundreds of thousands of records, making it indispensable for biologists studying diversity.

One of the project’s primary scientists, Sundue, is working on an inventory of the fern and lycophyte diversity of Colombia. Before embarking on expeditions, researchers searched the PteridoPortal for ferns from the areas they planned to visit, creating a list with images of what to look for. Information about specimens collected goes directly into the portal, where it’s immediately available to other users.

The PteridoPortal is open to everyone, and other institutions have agreed to share their data, including the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, the Naturalis Biodiversity Center in the Netherlands, and ETH Zurich in Switzerland. Future collaborative efforts are likely to follow.

As we continue into Earth’s sixth mass extinction event, it’s imperative for scientists to deploy every tool they have to document what’s left and prevent future losses. “If we don’t continue to learn and teach people about biodiversity, no one will notice when it disappears,” Sundue says. The PteridoPortal is a crucial step in this journey, unlocking the secrets of ferns and inspiring collaboration among researchers worldwide.

The replanting of rainforests is a crucial strategy for preserving biodiversity and mitigating climate change. However, new research suggests that these efforts may be hindered by the slow recovery of decomposers like termites. A study published in the Journal of Applied Ecology found that termite transplants may be necessary to help regenerating forests thrive.

The researchers placed wooden blocks at three forested sites: an old growth forest and two replanted forests, 4 and 8 years after reforestation. They monitored the blocks for four years, checking on them every six months to see if they had been discovered by fungi, termites, or both. The team found that while fungi were resilient in both the old growth and replanted forests, termite activity was slower in the younger forests.

The study’s lead author, Baptiste Wijas, said that the results were unexpected and highlighted the importance of considering other organisms, like termites, when restoring ecosystem processes in rainforests. “People tend to think that by just planting a diversity of trees, these rainforests will regenerate,” he explained. “But it’s worth thinking about should we actually be putting in other organisms as well.”

The researchers suggest transplanting deadwood logs from old growth rainforests to newer forests, which could bring in decomposers and provide a food source for them. This approach has not been thoroughly studied yet but may be the subject of future research.

Amy Zanne, a senior scientist at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, noted that termites are often viewed unfavorably due to their ability to damage human homes. However, they play an essential role in having a healthy forest. “Termites and fungi are absolutely critical to forest function,” she said.

The study’s findings emphasize the importance of understanding the roles that termites have in rainforests and other ecosystems. The researchers are working to better comprehend how termites might be locking up carbon in their nests, which could be crucial for mitigating climate change.

In conclusion, while replanting rainforests is a vital strategy for preserving biodiversity and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, the slow recovery of decomposers like termites may hinder these efforts. Termite transplants may be necessary to help regenerating forests thrive, highlighting the importance of considering other organisms when restoring ecosystem processes in rainforests.

The fight against microplastic pollution has taken a promising turn. Researchers have discovered that extracts from plants like okra and fenugreek can trap and remove up to 90% of these tiny plastic particles from various types of water – ocean, freshwater, and groundwater. This breakthrough, published in ACS Omega, offers a biodegradable and non-toxic alternative to synthetic polymers currently used for wastewater treatment.

Researchers led by Rajani Srinivasan have been exploring plant-based approaches to clean contaminated water. In lab experiments, they found that extracts from okra, fenugreek, and tamarind formed sticky natural polymers that clump together with microplastics, making it easy to separate them from the water. The team demonstrated successful removals in freshwater and ocean water at a meeting of the American Chemical Society.

To extract these sticky plant polymers, researchers soaked sliced okra pods and blended fenugreek seeds in water overnight. They then removed the dissolved extracts, dried them into powders, and analyzed their composition. Initial tests showed that the powdered extracts contained polysaccharides, natural polymers capable of attracting microplastics.

The researchers then tested these plant extracts on real-world samples from waterbodies around Texas. The results varied depending on the original water source: okra worked best in ocean water (80%), fenugreek in groundwater (80-90%), and a combination of both in freshwater (77%). The team hypothesizes that this difference is due to the varying types, sizes, and shapes of microplastics present in each water sample.

Currently, polyacrylamide is used for contaminant removal during wastewater treatment. However, the researchers propose using okra and fenugreek extracts as biodegradable and non-toxic alternatives.

“Utilizing these plant-based extracts in water treatment will remove microplastics and other pollutants without introducing additional toxic substances to the treated water,” says Srinivasan. “This can significantly reduce long-term health risks to the population.”

The researchers acknowledge funding from various institutions, including the U.S. Department of Energy, Tarleton State University, and the National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates program.