[Pollinator] Saving the plant life

[Ladadams at aol.com]

>From THE STAR

Saving the plant life
Tuesday, March 13, 2012 6:00 
 
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(http://www.starcanterbury.co.nz/news/saving-the-plant-life/1303558/#)     *    
(http://www.starcanterbury.co.nz/news/saving-the-plant-life/1303558/#) 


 
 
Richard Pender examines plants in Hawaii as part of his research into their 
 reproduction 

 
The birds and the bees. It's an age-old story that makes the world go 
round.  But what happens when the birds and bees disappear?

Former Lincoln High  School student Richard Pender is currently in Hawaii, 
researching the impact on  plants when the creatures that pollinate them 
become extinct.

"It is a  question that is of global concern, and the questions I am 
addressing in Hawaii  can be directly applied to New Zealand's flora," said Mr 
Pender, a PhD  student.

Mr Pender said Hawaii, like New Zealand, has a lot of species  found 
nowhere else in the world due to its isolation as an island.

This  makes it ideal for studying unique plant species and the effects of 
invasion by  plant introduction, he said.

Mr Pender said he loves Hawaii and that it's  "an awesome place" to live 
and study.

"I'm interested in islands and how  floras evolve on islands. Hawaii is one 
of the best places to work and study in  that regard. I'm really into the 
outdoors, so when I do get time off I like to  make the most of it. Hawaii 
allows me to live a really good life while working  really hard."

Mr Pender is studying at the Manoa Campus in Honolulu at  the University of 
Hawaii, and said the island is not so different from his  homeland.

"Both places have a fairly laid-back atmosphere. That's  something I really 
appreciate."

As a student at Lincoln High School, Mr  Pender was "really into 
horticulture", which led to a post-school apprenticeship  at the Christchurch Botanic 
Gardens and two years working at the Royal  Horticultural Society in England.

He then returned to New Zealand to  study a Bachelor of Science at the 
University of Canterbury.

Now Mr  Pender is fulfilling his love of horticulture as he investigates 
how the flora  of Hawaii reproduce in the absence of their pollinators.

"Plants are  amazing! Growing plants is both art and science. Horticulture 
and botany is  really multi-faceted, taking in environmentalism, evolution, 
design, history.  I'm really lucky to be involved in this career path. I 
also get to work with  some really cool people who are just as passionate about 
plants and the  environment as I am."

Mr Pender's research was born after arriving in  Hawaii and realising that 
only a small number of studies on the impacts of bird  pollinator loss had 
been conducted.

"Essentially I am hoping to find out  if the plants that I am working with 
can still be pollinated by Hawaiian  honeycreepers, which are a group of 
bird species that evolved in Hawaii. Some of  the bird species have bills 
adapted for feeding from the nectar of Hawaiian  lobeliads. So they are 
mutualists, each helping the other out."

Mr Pender  said destruction of the plant and pollinators' habitats and 
invasion by other  species means many of the honeycreeper and lobeliad species 
are now extinct or  endangered.

His research has shown the plants he's working with can  partially 
compensate for pollinator loss.

"The only problem with this is  that self pollination has been shown to 
lead to inbreeding depression due to  close relatives mating. This is a real 
concern," he said.

While bee  numbers are declining globally, Mr Pender said predators are 
also a major threat  to pollinators in New Zealand such as tui and bellbirds.

If we lose  pollinators, our native plants may become extinct, he said.

"The tragedy  is that those species evolved, likely over very long periods. 
We [could] lose  unique species and the species are what make the fabric of 
 ecosystems."

Mr Pender said he hopes his research will "raise awareness  of the problem 
".

Due to finish his research at the end of the year, Mr  Pender will return 
to New Zealand to continue research, education and  consultation on flora.

Mr Pender's study was made possible when he  received the J. R. Templin 
Trust Scholarship which offers postgraduate students  the chance to study at a 
United States university, binding them to contribute to  their industry for 
two years  .



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