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Fig.1. Spatalla nubicola, 3D SEM, 2018      Raji Salan 

 

The image above is a set of stereoscopic scanning electron microscope images of an inviable Spatalla nubicola seed, produced with the technical assistance of Paul Gibbons (LJMU, Faculty of Science lab technician). The two-colour tone allows the image to be viewed three dimensionally with 3D red-cyan anaglyph glasses.

SEEDS UNDER THREAT

 

'Under Threat' is a collaboration between artist Raji Salan and conservationist Robbie Blackhall-Miles, as embodied in five seeds and their struggles in a world under constant human conflict. What do we perceive as a threat and what is under threat?

The exhibition uses a selection of donated seeds to focus our attention on a profound narrative about the fragility and resilience of nature, and the power of scientific instruments to reveal as-yet-unseen clues about ecological evolution and threat.

The seeds are explored through Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) images and audio commentaries, sharing what is known about these seeds and their connections to wider issues of geopolitics, climate change, ecology crisis, urbanisation, economic and political conflicts, and their threatened status as a consequence of these natural and human impacts.

Observing and recording these seeds via SEM technology has suggested further questions about what scientific images reveal to us and what they fail to show, and the contribution of an artistic perspective to unlocking new scientific knowledge.

Fig.2. Dissection microscope video animation, 2018      Raji Salan

SCANNING ELECTRON MICROGRAPHS

Fig.3. Slide show, Protea cryophila, SEM, 2018        Raji Salan 

Protea cryophila is a species classed as near threatened. It has never yet been grown to flowering size anywhere. in fact, it has never got much past the seedling stage. Robbie is working on a new technique to grow this species and thus create a back up population in cultivation.

Protea cryophila - story
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Fig.4. Slide show, Iris atropupurea, SEM, 2018       Raji Salan 

 

Iris atropurpurea will be the first endemic species in Israel to become extinct. Its population is being very badly affected by urbanisation which is causing the small fragmented populations to become genetically bottle necked.

Iris atropurpurea - story
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Fig.5. Slide show, Spatalla nubicola, SEM, 2018       Raji Salan 

Spatalla nubicola is a species that is near threatened in its natural state and only grows along a single ridge of mountains in South Africa. It has never been cultivated before and no one knows at present how to do so.

Spatalla nubicola - story
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Fig.6. Slide show, Mimetes argenteus with elaiosome, SEM, 2018       Raji Salan 

Fig.7. Slide show, Mimetes argenteus without elaiosome, SEM, 2018       Raji Salan 

Mimetes as a whole genus is threatened with 11 of the 13 species having a status of vulnerable, endangered or critically endangered. No one at present knows how to germinate them accurately, Robbie and a horticulturalist in South Africa are the only people to have had any success with them from seed. Mimetes argenteus is endangered in the wild with fewer than 1000 plants left and a decline in the population is expected in the coming years with climate change being the main driver. 

Mimetes argenteus - story
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Fig.8. Slide show, Orothamnus zeyheri, SEM, 2018       Raji Salan 

Orothamnus zeyheri, was the only member of the protea family to ever be controlled by CITES legislation. It's a vulnerable species in South Africa that only grows in wet mountain seeps and again little is known about its cultivation by seed. 

Orothamnus zeyheri - story
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HUMAN IMPACT ON PLANTS

Human impact on plants -
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Robbie Blackhall-Miles comments on the human impacts that are affecting some of the plant species mentioned in the exhibition. The reality of seed banks and repeated efforts of conservationists highlight a true threat to genetic diversity. Seed banks exist independently and as governmental organisations to store duplicate seeds and preserve their diversity for future generations in the event of natural or man-made disasters.

The IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) conservation status scale:

 

(E)        Extinct  - no known individuals remaining

(EW)    Extinct in the wild  - known only to survive in captivity

(CR)     Critically endangered  - extremely high risk of extinction in the wild

(EN)     Endangered - high risk of extinction in the wild

(VU)     Vulnerable  - high risk of endangerment in the wild

(NT)     Near threatened - likely to qualify for threatened category in the near future

(LC)     Least concern  - a species is widespread and abundant

(DD)    Data deficient - not enough information to assess the risk of extinction

(NE)    Not evaluated - a species has not yet been evaluated against the above criteria

(www.iucnredlist.org)

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species is the best known worldwide conservation status listing and ranking system. Species are classified by the IUCN Red List into nine groups set through criteria such as rate of decline, population size, area of geographic distribution, and degree of population and distribution fragmentation. When discussing the IUCN Red List, the official term "threatened" is a grouping of three categories: critically endangered, endangered, and vulnerable.

(www.cites.org)

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) aims to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival. Many countries require CITES permits when importing plants and animals listed on CITES.

Equipment used:

Seed images captured on FEI Quanta 200 and Inspect S SEM

Animated seed photography captured on Stereo dissecting microscope 

Specimens coated in gold using EMITECH K550X sputter-coater

Threatened categories

2018 © Raji Salan
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