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 ghost pipe, scientifically known as Monotropa uniflora, has been used in traditional medicine for centuries in the United States. However, its collection, consumption, and efficacy remain a mystery. A recent study by Penn State researchers has shed light on the modern use of this peculiar forest plant.

According to the study published in Economic Botany, social media and the internet have become primary sources of information and learning for individuals who harvest and consume ghost pipe. The researchers conducted a digital survey within the United States, which received responses from 489 individuals. Most respondents identified as consumers of ghost pipe (96%), and a significant number also reported being foragers or both.

The study found that pain management was the most commonly reported reason for consuming ghost pipe. However, respondents also mentioned using the plant for various other purposes, such as:

* As a sedative to help with sleep
* Enhancing relaxation
* Managing depression or grief
* Easing anxiety or trauma
* Reducing eye irritation
* Lessening symptoms of alcohol or opiate withdrawal

These results suggest that the internet has become an essential platform for learning and sharing ghost pipe ethnobotany, which is the study of the relationship between people and plants. The researchers also coined the term “digital ethnobotany” to describe the development of traditional knowledge and practices within virtual environments.

The ghost pipe’s unique biochemistry and pain-relieving properties make it a promising candidate for further research. As one of thousands of traditional medicinal plants worldwide, it has not had its specific chemistry studied, leaving a significant biochemical frontier waiting to be explored.

The researchers are now working on characterizing the specific chemistry and bioactivity of ghost pipe through their dissertation work. Their goal is to identify the specific pain-relieving compounds in the plant and explore its potential as a novel therapeutic or medicine.

The study highlights the need for further research into the use and trade of ghost pipe, considering the growing influence of digital platforms on its harvesting and consumption. As the researchers note, “We need to determine whether or not it has potential as a novel therapeutic or medicine.”

The article “Newborns living near trees tend to be healthier: New data suggests it’s not because healthier people reside near parks” presents groundbreaking research from Drexel University’s Dornsife School of Public Health. The study aimed to explore the impact of newly planted trees on birth outcomes, controlling for various factors such as education level, income, and body mass index.

Using a unique dataset of over 36,000 trees planted in Portland, Oregon between 1990 and 2020, researchers found a significant association between the number of trees planted within 100 meters of a mother’s home and higher birth weight. The study also discovered that nearby tree planting was linked to lower risks of pre-term birth and small-for-gestational-age birth.

The research revealed that each tree planted within 10 years before a child’s birth was associated with a statistically significant 2.3-gram increase in birthweight. Living within 100 meters of at least 10 trees was associated with about a 50-gram increase in birthweight, which could result in 642 fewer babies being considered small for gestational age.

The authors suggest that established older trees near one’s address may provide more benefits than newly planted trees by also providing psychological restoration and fostering a “soft fascination.” They speculate that this could be due to the developed natural environments reducing stress levels, which are associated with increased likelihood of delivering preterm babies and poor health outcomes later in life.

The study’s findings offer evidence supporting the link between trees and positive birth outcomes. While further research is needed to definitively prove causality, the current study provides valuable insights into the potential benefits of tree planting on public health from an early stage of life.