Olivia Murrell
MS STUDENT
Major Advisor: Jeremie Fant, PhD
Research: ADOPTING A ZOOLOGICAL PEDIGREE APPROACH TO BOTANIC GARDEN
COLLECTIONS: THE STATUS OF THE WORLDWIDE EX SITU COLLECTION OF
AMORPHOPHALLUS TITANUM (ARACEAE)
Current position:
Ph.D. Student at Manchester Metropolitan University
Conservation Scholar at Chester Zoo
Brief description of the position:
I am continuing the work that I undertook at Northwestern during my Master's research: adopting the zoological pedigree approach of conservation to rare and endangered plant species in botanic gardens.
At MMU and Chester Zoo, I am studying the status of tropical carnivorous pitcher plants (Nepenthes) in ex-situ conservation collections worldwide (ex-situ describes the conservation of a species outside of its native habitat). I will be comparing the status of this genus in botanic gardens to that in the wild to help determine how passive management of this genus in gardens has affected the genetic diversity of collections.
Many species (at least 40%) of Nepenthes are endangered, given their often narrow habitat ranges, threats to those habitats, and prevalence in the illicit plant trade. The precarious position of many species in the wild emphasizes the need for sustainable and diverse ex-situ collections. The botanic garden community is working to adapt a zoological model of endangered species conservation to plants by adapting a pedigree-based approach. Botanic gardens lack best practices for collecting and managing plant data, and therefore the status of most species in botanic garden collections is unknown.
Through this research, we hope to develop a conservation action plan for Nepenthes, in partnership with Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Website:
https://www.chesterzoo.org/what-we-do/our-zoo/biographies/olivia-murrell/
Contact information: