Why no seedlings in three centuries?
By Chelsie Vandaveer
January 1, 2003
killerPlants Tendrils: ~~1~~2~~3~~4~~5~~
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Assorted Killer Savings Garden Links—>Click here.
Killer Picks: Wollemi Pine, greatest living fossils discovered in the 20th century—>Click here.
Worlds to Explore, Archipelago, Family Reference Atlas of the World, & more—>Click here.
Deep Ancestry: Inside the Genographic Project—>Click here.
In 1505, Portuguese sailors discovered the island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean. (CIA World Factbook) The island uninhabited by humans had a unique set of plants and animals. Among the animals of Mauritius was a columbiforme, a large flightless dove relative. Weighing up to 23 kilograms (50 pounds), the dodos were
fresh meat after weeks at sea.
The derogatory name is thought to derive from the Dutch dodoor, sluggard, or the Portuguese, doudo, foolish or stupid. By 1681, the dodos were extinct, clubbed to death or victims of nest poaching by feral pigs and dogs left on the island.
By 1970, Mauritius had only thirteen tambalacoque (Sideroxylon grandiflorum = Calvaria major) left. The trees are members of the pantropical family, Sapotaceae. All the tambalacoque were reported to be over three hundred years old. None germinated in the intervening years, yet the trees produced fruit and seeds which should be viable.
In the mid-1970s, Stanley Temple noted the seeds of tambalacoque had hard, thick seed coats. Generally, seeds with hard coats need scarification to germinate. He proposed that perhaps the lack of young tambalacoque trees corresponded with the extinction of the dodo (Raphus cucullatus = Didus ineptus).
Birds swallow food whole which passes through the crop and into the gizzard, a muscular portion of the stomach. But for the muscular gizzard to grind the food, the bird must fill the organ with stones. The stones remain in the gizzard until worn away. Perhaps, dodos eating the fruit acted as the 'scarifier' on the seed coats.
Turkeys, being close in size to the dodo, were selected as the next best bird for the test of the hypothesis. Turkeys did not like tambalacoque fruit, but could be force-fed the seeds. Seeds passed through turkeys germinated and are thought the first new tambalacoque trees in three centuries.
And perhaps it does not require the intervention of a bird, John B. Iverson of Earlham College proposed that the scarification may have come from the land tortoises once present on Mauritius and now also extinct.
David Reilly has posted a great article, "Justice at last for the Dodo", taken from New Scientist. To learn more about the fascinating dodo, click on the link:
http://www.davidreilly.com/dodo/books/new_scientist/newscientist.html
killerPlants Tendrils: ~~1~~2~~3~~4~~5~~
Suggested Reading:
What fruit was the symbol of hospitality? Herbal Folklore - April 15, 2002
How did Portugal gain control of the spice trade? Plants that Changed History - December 2, 2003
Where is the marketplace of dragon's blood? What's in a Name? - November 7, 2003
Why plant nutmegs from pigeons? Renfield's Garden - December 3, 2003
What fruit creates a taste illusion? Weird Plants - March 4, 2004
Humans or bats, who made chicle a dominant species? Renfield's Garden - July 10, 2002
Killer Savings Links: Breck's Bulbs -$25 off—>Click here.
Gurney's Seed and Nursery -$20 off—>Click here.
Henry Fields Seed and Nursery -$20 off—>Click here.
Spring Hill Nursery -$20 off—>Click here.
Gardens Alive! -$20 off—>Click here.
Michigan Bulb -$20 off—>Click here.
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Worlds to Explore: Classic Tales of Travel & Adventure
National Geographic®
Polar fleece, titanium, and GPS have forever changed the face of exploration. Today an explorer can make a phone call from the top of Mount Everest and geo-locate himself in the thickest rain forest or the widest desert. Yet despite these advances, few modern adventures get close to the charm and romance of ''The Desert Road to Turkestan'', ''Mysterious Temples of the Jungle'', and ''Airplanes Come to the Isles of Spice.''
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In those bygone days, the pages of National Geographic were as close as most people could get to high adventure and faraway lands—and here's a chance to recapture them. Alongside noteworthy names like Robert Peary, Amelia Earhart, and Teddy Roosevelt, other less famous travelers take us on long-forgotten trips to places few Americans had gone. We follow as ''An American Girl Cycles Across Transylvania,'' trek ''A Thousand Miles Along the Great Wall of China,'' and glide ''By Felucca Down the Nile.''
Introduced by brief essays that provide context and perspective, these engaging, engrossing selections speak for themselves—and trace the National Geographic Society's growth as it explored the unknown and brought it to readers eager for knowledge of ''the world and all that is in it.'' 464 pages. Hardcover. 6'' x 9''. © 2006
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Remains of a Rainbow Softcover
National Geographic®
Renowned natural history photographers David Liittschwager and Susan Middleton have devoted the last decade to capturing images of endangered plants and animals in the United States. Remains of a Rainbow, their groundbreaking and unprecedented coverage of the Hawaiian Islands, transforms these statistics into living beings with faces, unique characteristics, and beauty, through vivid and poignant photographic portraits.
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With more than 300 images, this splendidly vibrant volume will be showcased in traveling museum exhibitions over the next three years at major natural history venues.
Remains of a Rainbow focuses on the native species that have evolved on the islands of Hawaii, one of the biologically richest places on Earth, and also one of the most threatened. Working closely with expert field biologists, Liittschwager and Middleton capture images of ecosystems full of new discoveries (species not yet known to science), rediscoveries (species thought to be extinct), and the exotic habitats in which these species fight to survive.
The text and elegant photographs tell a powerful story—of the rare creatures of the world, of little-seen habitats in the wild, of human interference that threatens their survival, and of the people who devote their lives to preserving them.
David Liittschwager is a freelance photographer who worked with Richard Avedon in New York City from 1984 to 1986. Since 1986 his emphasis has been on portraiture, focused primarily on natural history subjects. Susan Middleton has been deeply involved in the documentation and portraiture of endangered animals, plants, sites, people, and cultures for the last 25 years. She chaired the California Academy of Sciences department of photography.
264 pages. Softcover. 11'' x 12''. © 2003
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Archipelago
National Geographic®
Legendary fine art photographers and award-winning environmentalists David Liittschwager and Susan Middleton(Remains of a Rainbow) join forces once again to showcase a breathtaking selection of the native flora and fauna of the remote Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, both terrestrial and marine.
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280 pages; 350 photographs; 11'' x 12''; Hardcover © 2005
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National Geographic Family Reference Atlas of the World
National Geographic®
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A modern family reference atlas demands not just state-of-the-art cartography but a vast array of information organized clearly, efficiently, and above all, usefully—and that's what the Family Reference Atlas provides: more than 1,000 maps, illustrations, and photographs; more than 400 charts and tables; and 30 global thematic spreads displaying key facts and figures on everything from biodiversity and the distribution of natural resources to world health and education, global Internet connectivity, and conflict and terror hotspots.
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The Family Reference Atlas of the World continues a proud tradition of cartographic excellence at an affordable price.
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Deep Ancestry: Inside the Genographic Project
National Geographic®
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In Deep Ancestry, scientist and explorer Spencer Wells shows how tiny genetic changes add up over time into a fascinating story. Using scores of real-life examples, helpful analogies, and detailed diagrams and illustrations, he translates complicated concepts into accessible language and explains exactly how each and every individual's DNA contributes another piece to the jigsaw puzzle of human history. The book takes readers inside the Genographic Project, the landmark study now assembling the world's largest collection of DNA samples and employing the latest in testing technology and computer analysis to examine hundreds of thousands of genetic profiles from all over the globe.
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256 pages with 40 photographs; 5'' x 8''; Hardcover © 2006
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Join a real-time, landmark research project! Learn something about your deep ancestry while contributing to the overall success of the Project.
Genographic Project Public Participation Kit U.S. and Canada Delivery.
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Wollemi Pine
National Geographic®
Exclusively from National Geographic, this survivor from the age of the dinosaurs is one of the greatest living fossils discovered in the 20th century. The Wollemi pine is one of the world's oldest and rarest tree species, belonging to a 200-million-year-old plant family thought to have been extinct for more than two million years.
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Previously known only from fossil records, it was presumed extinct until a single tree was found in the Wollemi National Park, Australia, in 1994. Subsequent research discovered 100 adult trees that have survived in a single canyon in this wild and rugged area.
Click here to view canyon, trees and fossil record.
You can assist in the conservation effort and enjoy the unique opportunity to ensure the continued survival of this rare species by giving the tree as a gift or growing your own. Suitable for indoor container gardening or as a landscape tree in certain areas of the U.S.
Comes with a care manual with the full story about the discovery and fascinating history of the Wollemi pine. Comes in a copper-colored container and will be approximately 10''H when shipped. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of these plants will fund ongoing conservation research.
Click here to get your Wollemi Pine and assist in the conservation effort.
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National Geographic Magazine
National Geographic®
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You are invited to roam the world in the pages of National Geographic magazine. Explore the diversity of our planet's lands and inhabitants in compelling stories covering topics such as animals, nature, science, technology, culture, history, travel, adventure, exploration, and geography. The monthly National Geographic magazine is your key benefit of membership.
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- As many as five wall map supplements throughout the year in issues of the magazine
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Join the Society and bring the adventure of National Geographic into your home!
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