Public engagement in South Africa’s ecological research: The ‘why’ and ‘how’ of citizen science

J.M. Hulbert; J.J. Roux; T.I. Burgess; F. Roets; M.J. Wingfield

doi:10.1016/j.sajb.2017.01.065

(N.A. Hlatshwayo) The unsustainable harvesting and over-collection of many Aloe species which are highly used for various horticultural, medicinal and cosmeceutical purposes has led to many Aloe species becoming rare or threatened. Developing efficient propagation techniques is critical to their cultivation for sustainability and to safeguard the species against extinction. This study was aimed at developing and optimising propagation protocols for endemic Aloe peglerae and A. reitzii spp. Aloe seeds were germinated at different temperatures (15 °C, 20 °C, 25 °C) and photoperiods (continuous dark, 16 h light and continuous light) in Petri dishes lined with filter papers and moistened with distilled water. Temperature and photoperiod significantly affected mean germination time (MGT) in both species. There was a decrease in MGT with an increase in temperature. Both total carotenoids and total chlorophyll of germinated seeds significantly increased with an increase in temperature. Considering the threatened conservation status of these species, in vitro culture initiation of the two species was achieved for developing micro-propagation protocols. Shoot explants obtained from in vitro germinated seedlings were cultured on Murashige and Skoog basal medium supplemented with meta-topolin (mT) and indole-butyric acid (IBA). The medium was adjusted to have a pH of 5.7 before solidifying with 0.8% agar and autoclaving for 20 min. Cultures were incubated for 5 weeks in a growth room under 16 h light conditions provided by cool white fluorescent tubes at 25 ± 2 °C. Average shoot multiplication rates of 5.12 and 3.27 shoots per explant were recorded for A. reitzii and A. peglerae, respectively. Soybean is an important legume crop rich in vegetable protein, oil and secondary metabolites worldwide. Soybean has the ability to fix nitrogen due to the symbiotic relationship between the plant and the soil bacteria rhizobia resulting in the formation of nodules. This symbiotic relationship is highly regulated, lasting for a certain time, but eventually ends in root nodule senescence. In most instances, early nodule senescence occurs because this process is accelerated by unfavourable conditions such as drought. Previous studies have shown that nodule senescence is linked to the activity of papain-like cysteine proteases. Our research focused on the characterisation of transgenic soybean lines overexpressing orzyacystatin I (OC-I) in their root nodules. Our working hypothesis is that OC-I, isolated from rice, will inhibit the activity of papain-like cysteine proteases in the nodules resulting in improved plant growth and drought tolerance. PCR results showed that the OC-I gene is present in three independent transgenic lines. The plant height and number of trifoliate leaves were recorded over several weeks under well-watered conditions. No significant differences were observed in the plant height and number of leaves between the non-transgenic and the transgenic lines. We are currently determining expression of the OC-I gene and the cysteine protease activity using quantitative PCR and fluorometric assay, respectively. Future work will focus on the effects of ectopic expression of OC-I in the nodules under well-watered and drought conditions. Citizen Science projects that engage the public in scientific research can provide unique opportunities to promote education and to provide alternative approaches to teaching and learning. Cape Citizen Science is a South African project that demonstrates the benefits and value of involving the public in ecological research while showcasing methods for public engagement in ecological research. This project engages the public in hypothesis-driven research focused on plant-pathogen interactions in the Cape Floristic Region. The aim of this project was to update information about the impacts of Phytophthora species on an important biodiversity hotspot, the fynbos biome. Preliminary results indicate that citizen science projects such as this can be beneficial to ecological research in South Africa and provide unique learning activities for participants. The methods pioneered by Cape Citizen Science could be used as a model for future citizen science programs designed to foster scientific literacy and to benefit ecological research in South Africa. The Little Karoo is a botanically diverse region with more than 3 200 plant species. A checklist of medicinal plants of the Little Karoo was compiled, based on local popular literature and numerous quantitative surveys. The list includes 275 medicinal plant species from 184 genera and 80 families. Quantitative ethnobotanical surveys were conducted in eight towns of the Little Karoo: three in the western part (Barrydale, Vanwyksdorp and Zoar) and five in the middle and eastern parts (Dysselsdorp, Haarlem, Prins Albert, Uniondale and Volmoed). A quantitative approach, following the Matrix Method, allowed us to determine the relative importance of the species that are used (by calculating the Species Popularity Index or SPI) but also the spatial distribution of medicinal plants knowledge in the Little Karoo (by calculating the Ethnobotanical Knowledge Index or EKI). These indices will also allow for future Abstracts 337

Public engagement in South Africa’s ecological research: The ‘why’ and ‘how’ of citizen science

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