Thousands of native plants are unphotographed, and citizen scientists
can help fill the gaps

Date:
March 13, 2023
Source:
University of New South Wales
Summary:
New research finds almost 4000 Australian plant species have not
been photographed before in the wild, which may lead to their
extinction.


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FULL STORY ========================================================================== Scientists have documented plant species for centuries to help us
understand and protect the incredible diversity of flora in our world. But according to new research, many have never actually been photographed
in their natural habitats -- and that's a problem.


========================================================================== Researchers from UNSW Sydney and the Australian Institute of Botanical
Science, part of the Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust, surveyed 33
major online databases of plant photographs to examine the photographic
record of Australian plant species. The findings, published in New
Phytologist, reveal out of 21,077 native Australian vascular plant
species, almost 20 per cent lack a verifiable photograph.

Lead author of the study and UNSW Science PhD student Thomas Mesaglio says Australia is one of the richest areas in the world for native species.

"It was surprising to see how many plant species had just line drawings, illustrations, paintings, or even no media at all," Mr Mesaglio says.

Dr Herve' Sauquet, co-author of the study and Senior Research Scientist
at the Australian Institute of Botanical Science, is based at the National Herbarium of New South Wales.

"All species of plants ultimately rely on specimens in herbarium
collections for their identification," Dr Sauquet says. "Yet, even in
this digital age where most herbarium specimens have been scanned and
are accessible on the web, photos of live plants in the wild remain in
critical need." Senior author of the study from UNSW Science Associate Professor Will Cornwell says a lack of detailed photos can have real consequences. Many plant species that are difficult to identify in the
wild may go extinct if scientists cannot properly identify them with
the help of photos.

"We had assumed every plant species would have simply been photographed
by someone, somewhere, throughout history. But it turns out this isn't
the case," says A/Prof. Cornwell.

"This is where citizen scientists can come in and help us fill this
gap with their photos." Gaps in the photographic record Photographs
can help botanists and taxonomists who work with plant specimens by
preserving characteristics like flower colour that get lost over time
in their samples. They can also show additional features, such as the orientation of leaves or bark appearance, and add ecological context.

"Having a comprehensive photographic set helps us to be confident in our identifications," Mr Mesaglio says. "Particularly when it is practically challenging to collect and preserve the entire plant, photos complement
the physical voucher by showing the soil type, the habitat it's growing
in, and other species growing alongside it." But it turns out not all
plant groups are photographed equally. Just as some animals receive
less attention than others, there might also be a bias against less
charismatic plants.

The study found the most well-photographed plant groups tend to be
shrubs or trees with more noticeable or spectacular features, such as
colourful flowers.

Banksia, for example, is one of only two Australian plant genera with
more than 40 species to have a complete photographic record. Meanwhile,
the family with the most significant photo deficit was Poaceae --
commonly known as grasses - - with 343 unphotographed species.

"We noticed a charisma deficit, so the species that tend to be harder to
see are the ones missing out," Mr Mesaglio says. "They may have innocuous
or pale- looking flowers or be smaller and harder to spot grasses, sedges
and herbs." Geography also affected the photographic record. While most species across the south-eastern states of Australia have comprehensive records, Western Australia had the largest void, with 52 per cent of
all unphotographed species found there.

"The primary 'hotspots' for unphotographed Australian plants are areas
with high plant diversity, but the environments are rugged and often
difficult to access, particularly by road," Mr Mesaglio says. "But it
means there's an exciting opportunity to visit these locations because
we might capture something that has never before been photographed."
Activating citizen scientist snaps It's one thing to have comprehensive photographic records for professional scientists to use in identification guides. But when the plant world is under threat from multiple fronts, including habitat clearing and climate change, photos can help engage
the public in plant science.

"People can engage with, sympathise with, and get much more excited about plants with photographs, which is vital when our natural environments
are more at risk than ever," Mr Mesaglio says.

"Because digital photography is so accessible now, anyone can also help
make a meaningful contribution to science using the camera in their
pocket." Using a platform like iNaturalist, keen citizen scientists can
have their snaps identified by experts and share the data with aggregators
like the Atlas of Living Australia and the Global Biodiversity Information Facility to be used in research and conservation.

"Since April last year, we've identified nearly 10 per cent of those
previously unphotographed species thanks to members of the public
uploading their photographs and experts who've kindly identified them,"
Mr Mesaglio says.

"There could be many more in personal collections or behind paywalls just waiting to be shared." The researchers recommend a standardised system
for scientific plant photography be developed, starting with a requirement
in the International Code of Nomenclature for Plants to include at least
one field photograph where possible in new species descriptions. They
also suggest all new species descriptions be published as Open Access
in searchable databases with Creative Commons licensing to maximise
their usage.

"We also suspect more photos exist, but they're hidden away on social
media or behind scientific paywalls that aren't accessible, discoverable,
or searchable," Mr Mesaglio says.

"Of the species with photographs, many have a single photo. We not only
want to capture those unrepresented species but also continue building
the photographic record for all species.

"Doing so will help us identify, monitor and conserve our native species
for generations to come."
* RELATED_TOPICS
o Plants_&_Animals
# Nature # Endangered_Plants # New_Species
o Earth_&_Climate
# Exotic_Species # Ecology # Environmental_Awareness
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# Land_Management # Environmental_Policies # Ocean_Policy
* RELATED_TERMS
o Permian-Triassic_extinction_event o Extinction_event o Zoo o
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========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by
University_of_New_South_Wales. Original written by Ben Knight. Note:
Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Thomas Mesaglio, Herve' Sauquet, David Coleman, Elizabeth Wenk,
William
K. Cornwell. Photographs as an essential biodiversity resource:
drivers of gaps in the vascular plant photographic record. New
Phytologist, 2023; DOI: 10.1111/nph.18813 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/03/230313215104.htm

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