Botanical Gardens - An underused resource to study climate change
A new paper with the participation of members of our team has been recently published and is accessible to all. Professor Jennifer McElwain, Dr Michelle Murray, Dr Christos Chondrogiannis and Midori Yajima (former member) are co-authors of the paper titled “A framework for long-term environmental monitoring using living plant collections in botanic gardens: A global review and case study from Trinity College Botanic Garden” published in the Plants People Planet journal.
Botanic gardens serve as ideal sites for investigating plant responses to climate change, offering substantial outreach and visitor engagement opportunities. However, the potential of living collections for multi-year studies has not been fully explored. This paper first reviews environmental monitoring projects conducted in these institutions over three continuous years, revealing that fewer than 1% of botanic gardens and arboreta globally engage in long-term research. Moreover, we identified a shortfall in biodiversity among the species used, with only 3% of angiosperm and 35% of gymnosperm families represented in studies.
Based on these findings, we propose a long-term (>30 years) monitoring project to study the effects of climate change, using the living collection of Trinity College Botanic Garden called Witness Tree Project. We have selected 21 tree specimens that are relevant to different interests, from highly studied species with excellent international trait data coverage to culturally important trees. We measured stomatal conductance, which is significantly influenced by atmospheric CO2 levels, as well as particulate matter, indicating atmospheric pollution.
We are excited to announce that the Witness Tree Project is now in its third year and is expanding. The same trees are also being monitored at the National Botanic Gardens of Ireland, with additional collaborations in progress. Furthermore, we are incorporating more measurements to provide a comprehensive understanding of how climate change impacts plants. Recognizing the importance of open science practices, we have made our data and documentation available to the public. This approach not only facilitates future global research but also promotes a collaborative atmosphere, which is crucial for addressing the colonial legacy of botanic gardens and herbaria.
by Christos Chondrogiannis
