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Jewels of the bushland Dr Belinda Davis Research Scientist
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Western Power PhD research student (2001) Andrew Batty, examines orchid cultures produced in the laboratory.
Translocation of laboratory grown, critically endangered Caladenia busselliana to the field. Photo: Brian Trainer
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For People & Plants | Special Issue | Spring 2021
airies, dragons, kings and queens are typically found in the pages of fairy tales and legends, but they are also ephemeral stars in Western Australia’s orchid flora. More than 400 species of orchid occur here, the majority of which can be found nowhere else on Earth. They have intricate webs of above ground deception of wasp pollinators and below ground fungal mutualisms. Orchids are model subjects to investigate ecosystem function and the diverse orchid flora of Western Australia has long been a fertile ground inspiring scientific minds. The Kings Park Science Orchid Conservation Program has been running for about 30 years, initially fostered by Kingsley Dixon and expanded under the direction of Andrew Batty and Mark Brundrett. The commitment to ex situ conservation is at its core, with the establishment of the cryo-stored seed and fungal banks. Ex situ conservation remains a core function to this day, supported by international collaborations such as the Millennium Seed Bank project at Kew Gardens. Early translocation efforts focused on the threatened Cinnamon Sun Orchid, Thelymitra dedmaniarum, and the Dwarf Bee Orchid, Diuris micrantha, funded by Western Power and centred on optimising germination and plant growth. The launch of the first International Orchid Conservation Congress in 1999 through Kings Park’s Orchid Conservation Program brought together scientists from around the world to improve orchid conservation and foster collaborative efforts. It still runs today. The program expanded rapidly to include postgraduate students and post-doctoral researchers and the diversity of research topics flourished. Work began on understanding the ultimate puzzle of the orchid world, the unique Underground Orchid (Rhizanthella gardneri now also encompassing Rhizanthella johnstonii) by Jeremy Bougoure and Sofi Mursidawati. This was no small task, given the complex tripartite relationship between a host tree, orchid and fungal partner. Not to mention the difficulty in finding something that lives its entire life cycle below ground! A multidisciplinary research approach is required to unravel the complexities of interactions and piece together what is required for translocations. The first of many such integrative studies involved the rare Grand Spider Orchid, Caladenia huegelii, by Nigel Swarts.
