This past weekend, Carrie attending the 2018 Clinton Global Initiative University Campaign meeting at the University of Chicago. Along with other graduate students at UC Berkeley, Carrie has started Project Field Equity (Fe), with the mission to reduce the incidence of sexual harassment and assault during fieldwork and other off-campus learning opportunities.
During the meeting, attendees had the opportunity to network with other student-driven initiatives for change, hear from a variety of speakers, and workshop ‘commitments to action’ for the coming months. Keep any eye out for future updates from Project Fe, and feel free to reach out to Carrie or the other members for more information!
Carrie Tribble (right) and Emily Kearney representing Project Fe and UC Berkeley at the CGI-U 2018 meeting
I spent the past six weeks collecting populations of Bomarea edulis for my dissertation research. In Mexico, B. edulis (and indeed the entire family Alstroemeriaceae) is at the northern extent of its range, providing a unique opportunity to study population dynamics and phylogeographic history of the edible species. Along the way, I also collected some neat looking ferns, including one species of Bommeria, which sounds a lot like Bomarea but is actually a cute rock-loving Pteridaceae.
Bomarea vs. Bommeria
Forming Collaborations
While in Mexico, I collected specimens from populations in Morelos, Veracruz, Querétaro, Oaxaca, and Chiapas. These populations represent most of the variation in range and habitats for Bomarea edulis within Mexico. This kind of trip would not have been possible without support from many local herbaria and research institutions, who provided invaluable local expertise on potential collecting localities, transport to the field, collecting supplies, and other resources. A huge thanks to the people from la Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos, la Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro, el Instituto de Ecología, la Facultad de Ciencias y el Instituto de Biología de la UNAM, the Eizi Matuda herbarium of UNICAC, and the Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla!!! This trip would not have been possible without their generosity and knowledge.
Rafael Torres photographing Bomarea edulis in the town of Santiago Comaltepec, la Sierra de Juárez de Oaxaca
Field ready with a portable drying oven set up outside our cabin in the Sierra de Juárez
With collaborators Rafael Torres and his student Rolando
Yolanda Pantoja finding her way into the carpenter’s trash pile to sample Bomarea edulis
Appropriately carrying her plant press from city to city.
Collecting team from Morelos – featuring Dani and Chema
Bomareas Galore!
Worries that it might be hard to find Bomarea edulis proved to be unfounded. In Morelos, the plant is pretty weedy along old roads and trails. While it was harder to find in Veracruz and Querétaro, the species is also quite common in the right habitats of Oaxaca and Chiapas. I was also able to collect some individuals of Bomarea acutifolia, the only other species of the genus that reaches Mexico.
A morphologically distinct population of B. edulis in southern Morelos
A very diminutive B. edulis from San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas
B. edulis tubers (very little rhizome)
More tubers!
Bomarea acutifolia from Oaxaca
Bomarea acutifolia from Veracruz
Will Travel for Plants
While looking for Bomarea, I was able to visit some absolutely fabulous places in Mexico. I am blown away by the country’s natural beauty, unique combination of ecosystems, and biota.
Mountains near Orizaba, Veracruz
Impressive waterfalls from Xico, Veracruz
Looking out over southern Morelos state
Above the clouds in the Sierra de Juarez, Oaxaca
Rooftop sunrise from Tuxtla Gutierrez, Chiapas
Beautiful town of Coatepec, Veracruz
More plants?
For now, that concludes my field work for this project. I hope to be able to sample from populations in Western Mexico, but thanks to herbaria often such ‘deficits’ in field collections can be filled in with preserved specimens. The national herbarium in Mexico, MEXU, was generous to allow me to sample leaf tissue from their collections. Stay tuned for potential future trips!!
Attention fans of underground morphology!! Check out this post highlighting upcoming research presentations at the Botany 2018 conference. If you’re around, come check out talks by Carrie (that’s me!!) and her collaborator Cody. Long live geophytes!
