Member News

Dear SIVB Plant Biotechnology Section Members:

In late October, I will be co-convening a workshop on Developing a Strategy for the Ex Situ Conservation of Threatened Exceptional Species. We are defining “exceptional species” as those that cannot be conserved through conventional seed banking technologies. For these species, in vitro methods will play an important role, both in propagating materials for restoration, and providing tissues and methods of recovery for cryopreservation protocols.

There are two important challenges to developing this strategy that are relevant to PBS members. 1) Whereas we have standard in vitro protocols that work well for propagating and cryopreserving tissues for many species, we know that standard protocols do not work for every species. Scientific and technological advances in applying protocols more broadly are needed in order to deal with the 5,000 – 10,000 species (at least) that fall into this category. 2) Because of the additional labor and resources needed, the costs for dealing with these species will be greater than traditional seed banking.

Any thoughts on the following 3 questions would be greatly appreciated, as they will provide input from you, as a group with direct expertise in in vitro methods.

1. In your experience, what is the most difficult aspect (or aspects) of applying in vitro methods to a new species?
2. In your opinion, what area(s) of research would be most important for meeting the challenge of applying in vitro methods to new species?
3. What kinds of collaborations might you see between industry, academia, government labs, non-profits, and others that might help make applying in vitro methods to endangered exceptional species more efficient and, thus, less costly?

Please send any thoughts, suggestions, or comments to me, Valerie Pence, at [email protected]. Please feel free to be creative and “think outside the box.”

Thank you!

Valerie Pence
Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden

Dr. Suad Al-Mazrooei (Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Kuwait University) received notification of grant funding from the Research sector in Kuwait University for his research project titled “Characterization of Stress Genes and Effects of Multiple Abiotic Stress on Gene Expression, Protein and Metabolite Profiles of the Xerophitic Desert Shrub, Haloxylon salicornicum in Kuwait”.

The Plant Research Division of the Center for Conservation and Research of Endangered Wildlife at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Gardens has recently hired a post-doc, Dr. Dani Ballesteros, to work on the IMLS-funded project, Evaluating Two Decades of Seeds, Spores, and Tissues in CREW’s CryoBioBank: Cryostorage as a Tool for Ex Situ Conservation in Botanical Gardens . Dani will be working with Dr. Valerie Pence to study samples of in vitro tissues, as well as seeds and spores that will be removed from long-term liquid nitrogen storage during the course of the project. The oldest samples have been frozen for 25 years. The samples will be evaluated for survival and analyzed in terms of a variety of parameters, including the methods of storage, length of time in LN, position in the tank, etc. In addition, a Ph.D. student from the University of Cincinnati, Megan Philpott, has joined the project to analyze the samples for genetic changes during storage. It is anticipated that about 1000 samples will be removed from CREW’s “Frozen Garden” during the three years of the project.