From dangerous branches to urban banyan: Facilitating aerial root growth of Ficus rubiginosa

Autor:	Ruby Paroissien, Michael Sullings, Matilda Balding, Suzanna Gooley, Rhiannon L. Dalrymple, Andrew Bell, Simon B. Z. Gorta, Alexander Hagan, Oliver de Lorenzo, Michi Sano, Len Martin, Sebastian M. Schwarz, Nora Campbell, Geoffrey McDonnell, Polly Reeves-Perrin, Haley Fort, Mark Clark, Angelique Kyriazis, Jing Wei Yeong, Michelle Clark, Thomasine Hulme, Frank A. Hemmings, Beatrice Alexandra Laitly, Yameng Wu, Amelia Fletcher, Phoebe Feng, Jennifer Auld, Kit King, Cindy Pan, Anish P. K. Kumar, Ashika Jagdish, Joshua Markovski, William K. Cornwell, Alena Sipka, Zoe Ford, Georgia J. Badgery, Gabriella S. Hoban, Kyle M. Crawford, Angela T. Moles
Rok vydání:	2019
Předmět:	0106 biological sciences Polymers Plant Science 01 natural sciences Sphagnum Plant Roots Rainwater harvesting Trees Urban Environments Polyvinyl Chloride Nonvascular Plants Materials Biological Phenomena Plant Growth and Development 0303 health sciences Multidisciplinary biology Eukaryota Plants Terrestrial Environments Potting soil Chemistry Root Growth Macromolecules Physical Sciences Medicine Educational Status Ficus rubiginosa Research Article Science Materials Science Dendrology Horticulture Banyan 03 medical and health sciences Aerial root Sphagnopsida Mosses 030304 developmental biology Ecology and Environmental Sciences Australia Organisms Biology and Life Sciences Plant Components Aerial biology.organism_classification Ficus Polymer Chemistry Moss Agronomy People and Places Environmental science Population Groupings Undergraduates 010606 plant biology & botany Developmental Biology
Zdroj:	PLoS ONE PLoS ONE, Vol 14, Iss 12, p e0226845 (2019)
ISSN:	1932-6203
Popis:	Large urban trees have many benefits. However, falling branches pose a serious hazard to both people and infrastructure. In several tree species, aerial roots grow down from branches to the ground. These roots are capable of thickening to support the branches, lessening the risk of tree failure. Unfortunately, in urban environments most aerial roots die before reaching the ground. Here, we report a new method for encouraging aerial roots to reach the ground, developed by the second-year botany class at UNSW Sydney. Our class tested three experimental treatments on aerial roots of Ficus rubiginosa Desf. ex Vent. (Port Jackson Fig)—PVC pipes filled with sphagnum moss, PVC pipes filled with potting mix, and PVC pipes filled with sphagnum moss and topped with funnels to catch extra rainwater. All three treatments significantly improved aerial root growth, with 26 of the 30 (87%) treatment roots reaching the ground after one year compared to 0 of the 10 control roots. Our method was successful for roots up to 3 m above the ground, suggesting the potential growth rate of aerial roots is substantial when conditions are favourable. Our novel approach is an attractive and cost-effective alternative to slings and other artificial supports. This project is an example of using undergraduate practical classes to teach science while simultaneously addressing important real-world problems.
Databáze:	OpenAIRE
Externí odkaz:	https://explore.openaire.eu/search/publication?articleId=doi_dedup___::540465215eddc2a14aa30ac3bc0076d1 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31887183 Zobrazit plný text záznamu Plný text ve formátu PDF Plný text ve formátu HTML
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