A ONCE solitary rowan tree in the Scottish Borders is playing a key role in supporting conservation efforts.
The tree has a rich history, having clung on to a riverbank despite the attention of grazing sheep and its hardiness earned it the moniker of The Survivor Tree Of Carrifran. It went on to be named Scotland’s Tree Of The Year 2020 and was selected as a finalist for Europe’s Tree Of The Year 2021.
Now the secrets of its genetic code are being unlocked to bring a greater understanding of biodiversity across the UK and Ireland, providing data that will be important for conservation and ecology.
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The Jedburgh Giant, an apparently disease-resilient elm in the Borders that has survived the devastating impact of Dutch elm disease, is also being used by experts at Edinburgh’s Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh who are partners in the Darwin Tree Of Life (DTOL) project. They are currently propagating the tree with other mature elms with the hope that they can rear “super survivors”.
The project aims to sequence the genomes of all 72,000 plants, animals, fungi and other living organisms across Britain and Ireland and the team in Edinburgh is tasked with identifying and collecting material from native species.
The team has already sampled around 400 of the 1100 native bryophyte (mosses, liverworts and hornworts) species in Britain and Ireland. One notable moss is the Scottish beardmoss (bryoeythrophyllum caledonicum) which was unknown to science until as recently as 1982, when the organisation’s Dr David Long named it caledonicum in homage to the nation. Native only to Scotland, it is found largely in the Highlands and Islands.
Compared with humans, many plants have surprisingly large amounts of DNA, so sequencing them can be extremely complex.
Dr David Bell, sample coordinator for the Darwin Tree Of Life at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh said: “At a time when so many species are under threat from climate change, pests and diseases, the DTOL programme has never been more important.
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“As an open resource for the whole scientific community, the knowledge we are gaining of how plants adapt in the face of environmental change will have practical applications right across society – including how we manage threats to our agricultural and commercial crops.
“Our role in the project, together with our partners at Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, is to collect samples from almost 3000 species of plants, from the tiniest of mosses to the most statuesque of trees, but few have a backstory quite as interesting as the rowan at Carrifran.
“Famous plants with a rich history like this really resonate – after all, everyone loves the story of survival against the odds – but more importantly, it helps people better understand and relate to the important research taking place across the UK. By sequencing its genome, we are unlocking the knowledge that will ultimately support conservation efforts.”
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