Andean Begonia Species Expedition

Peru Expedition 2014 Introduction The expedition to Cajamarca, Cuzco, Huanuco, Junin, Lima, and Pasco Regions of Peru was led by Peter Moonlight of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh and University of Glasgow in conjunction with Universidad Agraria La Molina. The main purpose of the expedition was to collect and determine the ecological niches of Andean Begonia species and to use the criteria developed by Joly et al (2014) to determine whether niche evolution in Andean Begonia is consistent with an adaptive radiation. Further aims included the collection of herbarium, seed, and silica gel samples of all species of Begonia encountered and other key RBGE study groups; to visit Peruvian herbaria, identify Begonia specimens, and database them in RBGE’s PADME Begonia database; and to develop relationships with Universidad La Molina. Expedition Itinerary The itinerary of the expedition was significantly altered due to problems locating species, mainly arising from misidentifications by previous botanists. Consequently, we were not able to locate the planned six species of Begonia Sect. Cyathocnemis (Klotzsch) A.DC. in the two sites in Junín Region as only two species of this group live in the area. We are therefore monitoring the environment temperature, humidiy, and light environments of two species at the Universidad Agraria La Molina’s La Genova research station in Satipo Province, Junín and four further species at Ulcumano Ecolodge in Oxapampa Province, Pasco. These sites were visited periodically throughout the expedition to download data from data loggers. Temperature and humidity data loggers have been left in situ for one year. In between visits to data loggers, a number of herbaria were visited and collection trips to the Cajamarca, Cuzco, and Lima Regions were undertaken. The following sites were visited: Date 15th-19th June 19th-23rd June 23rd-28th June 28th June-7th July 7th July 8th July 10th July 11th July 12th-17th July 17th July Details Arrive in Lima. Meet with counterparts. Visit Peruvian Environment Ministry and present collection permit Collect and purchase expedition equipment. Travel to Junín Region. Visit Universidad Agraria La Molina’s La Genova research station & Puyu Sacha Collect specimens at these and nearby sites Travel to Lima. Discuss potential field sites with collaborators. Work in USM, MOL, & MOL-WEB herbaria Travel to Pasco Region Visit Ulcumanu Ecolodge Place data loggers in Ulcumanu Ecolodge Visit HOXA herbarium Collect specimens around Oxapampa Travel to Junín Region. Place data loggers at La Genova research station Travel to Lima Collect specimens in Lima Region Travel to Pasco Region. Download data from data loggers at Ulcumanu Travel to Junín Region Download data from data loggers at La Genova Travel to Lima Work in USM herbarium Travel to Trujillo 18th-19th July 20th July 21st July 22nd July 23rd-28th July 28th July 29th July 30th July 1st July 2nd-9th July 9th July 10th July 10th-15th July 15th-23rd July Work in HUT herbarium Travel to Lima Work in USM herbarium Travel to Pasco Region Download data from data loggers at Ulcumanu Travel to Junín Region Download data from data loggers at La Genova Travel to Lima Travel to Cajamarca Region Collect specimens In Cajamarca Region Work in CPUN herbarium Travel to Lima Travel to Junín Region Download data from data loggers at La Genova Travel to Pasco Region Download data from data loggers at Ulcumanu Collect specimens in Pasco region Travel to Lima Travel to Cuzco Region Collect specimens in Cuzco Region Travel to Pasco Region Download data from data loggers at Ulcumanu Travel to Junín Region Download data from data loggers at La Genova Travel to Lima Drying and curation of specimens Personal holiday Return to UK Methods Temperature and humidity data loggers were left adjacent to two species of Begonia at Universidad Agraria La Molina’s La Genova research station in Satipo Province, Junín (B. humilis, B. maynensis) and four species at Ulcumano Ecolodge in Oxapampa Province, Pasco (B. peruviana, B. parviflora, B. subciliata, B. monadelpha) for a period of 42 days. Data points were taken at 4 minute intervals throughout the study period. At the end of the 42 day period, the data loggers were reset and programmed to take a data point every 30 minutes for 11 months. Data loggers will be removed by Peruvian counterparts in July 2015 and combined with data from the initial 42 days to provide a year of continuous data. Hemispherical photographs were taken with a Nikon D300 camera and a Sigma 8mm fisheye lens from a level tripod facing directly upwards with the bottom of the camera facing due north. Images taken with aperture priority at f22 to ensure all levels of the canopy were in focus and bracketed at five ±1EV intervals. The camera was placed 5cm above the growing point of the plant, which varied from 10cm to 1.5m height. At least four collections of each herbarium specimen were made where possible to allow distribution between our partner herbarium in Peru (MOL), the Peruvian National Herbarium (USM), the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (E), and relevant taxonomic specialists. Specimens were initially dried in 70% alcohol in the field before transfer to Universidad La Molina where they were dried over kerosene stoves. Where possible, seed was collected and dried in tea bags and silica gel samples were taken to facilitate phylogenetic study. Field data was entered into a spreadsheet and imported into RBGE’s PADME Begonia dataset and BGBase. Results Figure 1– Plots of temperature (top) and humidity (bottom) against time for 42 days (left) and a representative day (right) for data loggers adjacent to B. humilis (blue), B. maynensis (red), B. monadelpha (green), B. parviflora (purple), B. peruviana (lt. blue) Preliminary analyses of temperature and humidity from the initial 42 days show that the largest source of variation in temperature and humidity is between sites. However, it is clear that there are differences between the environments inhabited by species within sites. These differences do not manifest on cloudy days (e.g. see Fig.1 example day at the Pasco site) but on cloudless days (see Fig. 1 example day at the Junín site) temperature differs by up to 9ºC between species while relative humidity differs by up to 70%. This is despite all species growing within 100m of each other at both sites. The addition of 11 months of further data in July 2015 will allow these observations to be expanded and Repeat Measure ANOVA tests to determine whether environmental conditions differ significantly between species’ localities. Due to financial constraints, it was not possible to place data loggers next to multiple plants of each species; however, hemispherical photographs were taken above multiple plants of each species at both sites and species elsewhere (see Fig. 3). Analysis of these images is ongoing and will allow the categorisation of the light environment of the species. A total of 82 herbarium specimens of Begonia, Gesneriaceae, Calceolaria, Figure 2 - Map of herbarium specimens made during the and Solanaceae were made (see Fig. expedition 2). These specimens currently remain in Peru due to problems attaining an export permit while the Peruvian environment ministry undergoes a reshuffle. Specimens will be exported to RBGE in April 2015. Sixteen Begonia species collected, which were:                 Begonia maynensis A.DC. Begonia humilis Dryand. Begonia parviflora Poepp. & Endl. Begonia subciliata A.DC. Begonia bracteosa A.DC. Begonia erythrocarpa A.DC. Begonia octopetala L’Hér Begonia altoperuviana A.DC. Begonia peruviana A.DC. Begonia monadelpha Ruiz & Pav. ex A.DC. Begonia glabra Poepp. & Endl. Begonia semiovata Liebm. Begonia urticae L.f. Begonia acerifolia Kunth. Begonia fischeri Schrank. Begonia veitchii Hook.f. These Begonia species were anecdotally observed to live in highly different environments; for example, B. octopetala is a species lomas formations in the Atacama desert at an altitude of 400-600m, which derive all their moisture during a 46 month period of almost constant fog. The closely related B. veitchii, however, is a species of high altitude grasslands and was collected at 3750m in an unseasonal El Niño snowstorm. Other species including B. peruviana, B. parviflora, B. subciliata, and B. monodelpha were collected in mid-altitude cloud forest whereas B. humilis and B. altoperuviana were collected in lower-altitude rainforest. Figure 3 - Hemispherical photograph showing the canopy above B. urticae in Cutervo, Cajamarca, Peru. Silica gel samples were taken of all collections and molecular work is ongoing at RBGE to incorporate all Begonia samples into a well-sampled, global phylogeny of Begonia (Moonlight et al 2015, in press). The following herbaria were also visited:       CPUN – Herbario Universidad Nacional de Cajamarca HOXA – Herbario Estacion biológica del Jardin Botanico de Missouri, Oxapampa HUT – Herbario Universidad Nacional de La Libertad, Trujillo MOL – Herbario forestal, Universidad Nacional Agraria La Molina, Lima MOL-WEB – Herbario Weberbauer, Universidad Nacional Agraria La Molina, Lima USM – Herbario Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Lima Where possible, all Begonia specimens in these institutions were determined, which has led to the identification of 2 new species records for Peru, multiple species records for individual Peruvian regions, and six new species for science. Work to describe these species is ongoing. All specimens have also been entered into the RBGE’s PADME Begonia database, which is due to be published online in 2015. This has further allowed MaxEnt species distribution models to be produced to test whether Begonia species live in significantly different environments (see. Fig 4) and to allow the reconstruction of niche variables across a phylogeny of Begonia. Figure 4 – Significantly-different species distribution models (p = >0.99) and distributions of the closely related species Begonia subciliata A.DC. (left) and Begonia bracteosa A.DC. (right) showing the likelihood of finding habitat suitable for those species plotted against geography. References Joly et al. (2014) Species Radiation by Niche Shifts in New Zealand’s Rockcresses (Pachycladon, Brassicaceae) Systematic Biology 63(2): 192-202. Moonlight et al. (2015) Continental-scale diversification patterns in a megadiverse genus: the biogeography of Neotropical Begonia. In Press.