Fall 2024

Overall

• In September, Emma and Gavin took a one week trip to Arkansas to search for and document the health of the threatened tree butternut (Juglans cinerea). They visited numerous state, federal and private locations to observe butternut trees, which are declining due to disease, document their health and if the trees are reproducing, sample seeds if possible, and sample leaves for DNA analysis. The DNA analysis will reveal if the trees are hybrids, which may contribute to the disease resistance. It will also be used to determine how genetically diverse these very southern populations are (they are on the very geographic range edge).
• In late September, Sean, Gavin, and Emma attended a symposium on the threatened butternut tree, a.k.a. white walnut. The symposium was hosted by Purdue University and the US Forest Service State, Private, and Tribal Forestry. There were 15 in person attendees and 45 online participants. The symposium focused on helping recover this endangered tree: genomic research, planting orchards, partnerships, and understanding the disease which is causing the trees’ decline. Participants had a strong representation from practitioners, including state DNRs, private conservation organizations, and the US Forest Service. Sean talked about the TCB’s upcoming work to evaluate the health of butternut, sample seed for distribution to gardens and out planting, and building diverse partnerships for education and restoration.
• Sean attended the 16th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP16) of the Convention on Biological Diversity, in Cali, Colombia, from October 20-28. He led a team from IUCN and other groups, who gave a total of eight presentations or panel discussions on topics relevant to global tree conservation, including population monitoring, restoration, and connectivity, with examples in oaks and wild avocados in Mexico. Specifically Sean spoke about two topics: (1) monitoring forest tree populations using satellite data, to enable monitoring and reporting at national levels, with examples from wild avocado trees and oaks in Mexico; (2) on recently developed guidance for Parties for conserving genetic diversity, including by assessing in-country capacity. He networked with numerous environmental NGOs (IUCN, Re:Wild, BGCI, Wise Ancestors), connected with policy makers including country negotiators, and learned about upcoming tools and technologies that can help monitor biodiversity faster and more accurately. He also presented a poster on the Arboretum’s Center for Species Survival for Trees, for the Global Tree Conservation Program. Lastly, several hundred attendees stopped at an exhibit booth where Sean and his colleagues served as a resource to answer questions about conserving genetic diversity.
• Sean recently got promoted to Senior Scientist! We had a celebration for Sean's achievement in early November.

Events and Presentations

• In September, Sean attended two meetings with European collaborators last week. First, he attended a team workshop for GINAMO, Genetic Indicators for Nature Monitoring, an EU Biodiversa+ funded project which will build scientific knowledge and science policy linkages relating to a new approach Sean developed for rapid conservation genetic assessments (e.g. Hoban et al 2024). The workshop was coordinated using the IUCN Conservation Planning Guidelines. The project includes plans for interfacing with national level decision makers, and testing methods to use satellite data for identifying distinct populations. It was inspiring to see Sean’s work taken up and expanded by collaborators around the world. Second, he attended and gave a talk at the 6th European Conservation Genetics meeting. His talk was titled “Conserving and managing genetic diversity in ex situ collections.” About 150 people were in the audience, at the beautiful Palais de Rumine in Lausanne, with a strong focus on early career researchers.
• Ash gave a public defense of their PhD proposal on Wednesday September 12, and the committee decided it was a successful defense!  This means that Ash will now become a PhD candidate, thus entering an exciting new phase of their work.  Following a well earned vacation, they will proceed into the second major year of data collection for the IUCN threatened oak tree Quercus brandegeei this fall, by collecting additional seeds for growing into seedlings as well as revisiting and surveying previously planted seedlings to assess their health/ survival and collect DNA data.
• In September, Sean gave a presentation on “Butternut Conservation and Restoration” to a Biology class at University of Pittsburgh at Bradford, a small, bachelor’s granting institution in Pennsylvania, near Allegheny National Forest. There were 20 undergraduate students and about 10 Master Gardeners in the audience.  Sean talked about his research journey, The Morton Arboretum mission, opportunities including the REU and RAMP, how to identify butternut trees, why butternuts are threatened, and a brief overview of ongoing work to document the health of butternuts, collect and plant seeds, and build partnerships.
• In October, Mikaely presented her work at the Macalester College Summer Showcase. Her poster was a product of her work over the past year or so, with support from Tree Conservation Biology team members Ash Hamilton, Emily Schumacher and Sean Hoban. The title was “Are Quercus muehlenbergii and other white oak species hybridizing in botanic gardens”. This work was funded by the NSF REU program, The Morton Arboretum, and the US Botanic Garden. This work shows a very small number of hybrids were formed in acorns that we sampled (about 2 to 4% are hybrids). The Tree Conservation Biology lab will use this study along with other ongoing projects on hybrids to advise botanic gardens about how to manage hybrids in their collections. The planting of conspecifics in small clusters together, separated from other oaks, seems to have helped ensure that most of the acorns were not hybrids, though it can result in high levels of offspring that might show inbreeding. 

Publications

• ​Sean Hoban, Christina Hvilsom, Abdeldjalil Aissi, Alexandre Aleixo, Julie Bélanger, Katarzyna Biala, Robert Ekblom, Ancuta Fedorca, W Chris Funk, Alejandra Lorena Goncalves, Andrew Gonzalez, Myriam Heuertz, Alice Hughes, Fumiko Ishihama, Belma Kalamujic Stroil, Linda Laikre, Philip J K McGowan, Katie L Millette, David O'Brien, Ivan Paz-Vinas, Victor Julio Rincón-Parra, Marine Robuchon, Jon Paul Rodríguez, María Alejandra Rodríguez-Morales, Gernot Segelbacher, Tiffany R A Straza, Ruliyana Susanti, Ntakadzeni Tshidada, Sibelle Torres Vilaça, Jessica M da Silva, How can biodiversity strategy and action plans incorporate genetic diversity and align with global commitments?, BioScience, 2024;, biae106, https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biae106