Tasha James ‘What we can learn from the endemic flora of Mt Imlay’

Tasha will give us an update on her research on the isolated peak Mt Imlay, home to several endemic and endangered flora.

Biography
Tasha is a plant ecologist focusing on rare and endangered species. She is undertaking her PhD at the University of Canberra. Her undergraduate degree was in environmental science with honours in wetland plant ecology. Tasha now focuses on several critically endangered plant species which are endemic to the isolated summit of Mt Imlay, NSW. She collects data and samples from field surveys, drone surveying, Herbarium records and living collections to incorporate into a variety of analyses across population genetics, disease dynamics, and the influence of biophysical factors. She collaborates with the Australian National Botanic Gardens and several Herbaria. This project aims to provide more insight into the unique dynamics of isolated endemic plants to increase the ability for conserving these often-fragile communities.

Abstract
Mt Imlay, an isolated peak in south-east NSW, is home to several endemic and endangered flora. Tasha combines investigations into the ecology, disease dynamics, and population genetics of three of these species: Eucalyptus imlayensis, Hibbertia circinata and Boronia imlayensis, to make a holistic case study into the management of restricted populations of endangered species. These three species have various forms of ex situ insurance collections and the analyses and comparison of these can further inform conservation strategies. This presentation will discuss this holistic investigation and its findings so far. This work is part of an ongoing PhD project that will provide real-world advice to conservation practitioners in a growing field of science.

Booking Link – https://www.trybooking.com/DNXHA

One-hour talks are held at 12.30 pm every Thursday from February to November. We welcome donations by gold coins, notes, or electronically. The Friends use donations to support Gardens’ programs and development and thank all those who have donated.

Please note: unless otherwise indicated, talks are in the ANBG Theatrette.

It is a good idea to reserve a seat at the talks that you wish to attend; several talks are booked out very quickly. Bookings can be made about 30 days in advance until Wednesday night before the talk.

The Friends of the ANBG thank the speakers who volunteer their time and talents to further the knowledge of all attending events in the Gardens. Some summaries or PowerPoint presentations of Thursday talks are available to Friends at the ANBG Library. Please direct queries about the talks to the Thursday Talks Team: email talks@friendsanbg.org.au