Newly Described Species of Begonia Named after VP of Research & Conservation Peter Fritsch
Botanists working in the Philippines recently described a species of begonia new to science and named it in honor of Peter Fritsch, the Garden’s vice president of research and conservation.
Recent Research Publications Reveal the Details of New Plant Species—and Help Uncover the Workings of the Natural World
Botany is not a science for those who demand a steady routine. One day researchers might find themselves hiking up mountainsides through dense tropical rain forest or hunting down rare plants in parched deserts. The next day, they will be in the lab, peering through an electron microscope or studying DNA results.
The result of these efforts is usually a scientific paper, published in a peer-reviewed journal. Papers might describe a new species of plant or suggest a new way of approaching a problem. Taken as a whole, they reveal the workings of life on this plant.
Plant Discovery in the Southern Philippines
The Philippines archipelago contains unique floral and faunal diversity that is critically threatened by habitat loss, with only 3-7% of original habitat remaining. To address the urgent need for further documenting this diversity in the face of impending large-scale species extinction, I am working with colleagues from the U.S. and the Philippines on a four-year project to document the land plants and lichens of the southern Philippines through a series of large field expeditions and subsequent taxonomic study. T
Librarian Lens: Plant Discovery In the Southern Philippines Expedition Two
In December of 2019, BRIT Librarian participated in expedition two of the Plant Discovery In the Southern Philippines project.
NSF Funded Plant Discovery in the Southern Philippines Project December 2019 Expedition
Expedition 2, led by Peter Fritsch of BRIT, will include 20 Filipino and international participants (botanists and lichenologists) who will survey Negros Island and the Marilog Forest on the island of Mindanao over the month of December 2019.
Peter Fritsch Reporting on Field Research in the Philippines
The first expedition to the Philippines has been going splendidly, with many hundreds of collections, photographs, DNA samples, and associated field data being collected by the team. The four areas to be surveyed are Mount Marilog, Mount Limbawon, and Mount Hamiguitan, all on the island of Mindanao, and several peaks on Camiguin Island just off the […]
BRIT Receives $1.3 Million Dollar Grant from the National Science Foundation to Study Biodiversity in the Philippines
Texas botanists will collaborate with other U.S. institutions and international personnel to conduct research in threatened forests of Southeast Asia. FORT WORTH, Texas (August 28, 2018) – Researchers at the Botanical Research Institute of Texas (BRIT®) have received a $1.3 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to conduct a project titled “Plant Discovery in […]