Cryopreservation of threatened native Australian species—what have we learned and where to from here?

Cryogenic storage techniques have been developed and adopted for more than 100 (mainly agricultural) plant species worldwide, and within Australia, at least 30 critically endangered plants have been stored long term using cryogenic approaches. Nevertheless, there are many species that are very difficult to store using current procedures, and organizations involved in plant germplasm conservation (such as botanic gardens, agricultural institutions, etc.) that utilise cryogenic storage techniques are in some respects at a crossroads in their endeavours to cheaply and effectively store a wide selection of species and genotypes for conservation and agricultural/horticultural purposes. For taxa that are not amenable to current cryogenic approaches, new ways of developing cryogenic storage techniques need to be investigated, including research into the ways in which cell membranes interact and change when cooled to cryogenic temperatures (−196°C in liquid nitrogen) in the presence of various cryoprotective agents. This review highlights the current state of cryogenic research both within Australia and internationally, provides a case study on threatened plant species and also describes several new research initiatives that aim to provide answers to why some native species are quite amenable to widely utilised cryogenic approaches whilst others are currently non-responsive. New approaches aim to integrate laboratory and membrane modelling paradigms to provide guidelines for the development of new cryopreservation protocols and to assess the robustness of theoretical models in predicting optimum cryogenic conditions

Development of inoculants for native legumes to improve restoration of disturbed lands

Legumes are often pioneer species in disturbed sites, in part due to their ability to form symbioses with nitrogen fixing root nodule bacteria (RNB). The work reported here was conducted in the lease area of Shark Bay Salt located within the Shark Bay World Heritage Property. Many sites within this lease have been mined and although the majority have been decommissioned for over 15 years the mined areas remain in a highly disturbed state compared to the surrounding undisturbed flora. The effect of site disturbance on RNB was determined by comparison with adjacent undisturbed areas. Populations of RNB were larger in undisturbed soils than in the disturbed soils. The deficiency of symbiotic microbes in the disturbed soil pits may be a contributing factor to the lack of recruitment of flora from surrounding pristine areas. An aim of this study was to isolate RNB that effectively fix nitrogen with selected legume species to improve their survival on reintroduction to disturbed sites.Numerous RNB effective in N fixation with the legume species tested were isolated from soils collected within the lease area. Several isolates were selected for a multi-strain inoculum for plants introduced into the degraded areas of Shark Bay Salt Lease area. Inoculation resulted in higher plant yields that may improve survival over the months of little or no rainfall. This study demonstrates the potential for RNB inoculation to remediate disturbance in the Shark Bay lease area, and have a role in rehabilitation of other arid regions of Western Australia

Perspectives on Undergraduate Research Mentorship_ A Comparative Analysis Between Online and Traditional Faculty.pdf

With an increase in distance faculty, it is important to understand how faculty perceptions ofundergraduate research mentorship differ between distance and traditional faculty. Perceptions wereexamined in a medium sized, not-for-profit university with both residential and distance faculty.Residential faculty were more likely to mentor or were very interested in undergraduate research, butoverall interest in mentorship was similar across campuses. Faculty status or career experience was notcorrelated to interest or engagement in research mentorship. Traditional faculty were more likely toreport time commitment as a significant barrier than distance faculty. Other barriers and benefits werealigned between campuses, with top benefits, barriers, and motivators being student-focused as opposedto faculty or institution-focused. The majority of faculty surveyed hold undergraduate research as anintegral component of higher education. Recommendations for future include the exploration of onlinestudent motivation and preparedness to engage in research as well as the mindset (fixed versus growth)of faculty regarding student motivation and preparedness

Perspectives on Undergraduate Research Mentorship_ A Comparative Analysis Between Online and Traditional Faculty.pdf

With an increase in distance faculty, it is important to understand how faculty perceptions ofundergraduate research mentorship differ between distance and traditional faculty. Perceptions wereexamined in a medium sized, not-for-profit university with both residential and distance faculty.Residential faculty were more likely to mentor or were very interested in undergraduate research, butoverall interest in mentorship was similar across campuses. Faculty status or career experience was notcorrelated to interest or engagement in research mentorship. Traditional faculty were more likely toreport time commitment as a significant barrier than distance faculty. Other barriers and benefits werealigned between campuses, with top benefits, barriers, and motivators being student-focused as opposedto faculty or institution-focused. The majority of faculty surveyed hold undergraduate research as anintegral component of higher education. Recommendations for future include the exploration of onlinestudent motivation and preparedness to engage in research as well as the mindset (fixed versus growth)of faculty regarding student motivation and preparedness