LECTURE ABSTRACT FORMAT AND STYLE
General notes
· Single-space throughout. Do not justify text (use ragged right).
· Use Times Roman font, 12-point type.
· All abstracts must be in English, although the talks themselves may be in English or Spanish.
· Aim for a length of 250-300 words.
· Never use “will be discussed” or “will be presented.” An abstract is a summary of the talk itself, not a promise. Abstracts not conforming to this are unacceptable.
· All presentations cannot exceed 30 minutes, except the invited plenary talks that will be limited to 50 minutes.
· Use the last comma in a series, e.g. apples, oranges, and pears.
· Follow the style below for author names and footnotes for multiple authors; an asterisk immediately following a name indicates the speaker when there is more than one author.
· Mail abstracts to before 1 September 2016.
SAMPLE LECTURE ABSTRACTS
Science
Revealing patterns of orchid diversity across a Neotropical region
James D. Ackerman
Department of Biology, University of Puerto Rico, P.O. Box 23360, San Juan, PR 00931-3360, USA
Where do we find the greatest orchid diversity and endemism? Broad scale patterns may target conservation efforts and lead to local studies on population connectiveness, resilience, and viability. Herein I describe floristic patterns of West Indian orchids, reveal patterns of species diversity and endemism, and suggest avenues for further study. Parsimony methods were used to show affinities which suggested that for those orchid species that occurred on more than one island or region, geographical proximity was less important than ecological conditions. Distributional patterns were further investigated by relating island area and maximum elevation with orchid species richness and endemism. I expected strong species-area relationships but that they would differ between low and montane island groups. Insofar as maximum island elevation is a surrogate for habitat diversity, I anticipated a strong relationship with both species richness and endemism for montane islands. Data from 49 islands involving 728 orchid species were used. Linear and multivariate regression analyses were run to detect relationships between either area or maximum island elevation and species richness or the number of island endemic species. Area and elevation were good predictors of orchid species diversity and endemism in the West Indies, but this was driven by the extraordinarily strong relationships of large, montane islands. Species richness of low islands showed no significant relationship with either variable. A small island effect was revealed, but the montane islands had a significant relationship between species diversity and maximum elevation. Thus, patterns of Caribbean orchid diversity are dependent on interplay between area and topographic diversity. These patterns also reveal that there are two sets of orchids: highly restricted endemics and a set of widespread species. Why do we have this spectrum? Answers may have historical roots, evolutionary, geological, or ecological, whereas others may be found in the peculiarities of pollinator and mycorrhizal associations. Each global region has its own peculiarities that affect the distribution and abundance of orchids. For many parts of the world, including the Andes, we need to identify which factors may be most important within a region. Armed with these data, we may focus on strategies that enhance population survivorship and evolutionary potential in the richest group of flowering plants.
HORTICULTURE
The incredible miniature orchids from Colombia and their culture
Andrea Niessen
Gerente General, Orquideas del Valle SAS, Calle 10 Norte #9N-31, Cali, Colombia
Colombia is one of the countries with the highest biodiversity in the world. More than 3,500 orchid species have been described, and an estimated additional 1,500 have been reported. Miniature orchids represent a great part of this orchid flora, and new species are being discovered continuously. Orchid plants less than 15 cm in height are generally considered miniature, and they can mostly be found in the rain and cloud forests of the tropics where high humidity is always present.
Most of the miniature species in the American continent are in the Pleurothallidinae subtribe with genera such Acostaea, Barbosella, Brachycladium, Dryadella, Lepanthes, Lepanthopsis, Panmorphia, Porroglossum, Rubellia, Trichosalpinx, and Trisetella, which are almost exclusively small in size. All Lepanthes are small plants, and some are minute; close to 300 species of this genus have been described that are found only in Colombia. In other genera of the Pleurothallidinae, miniatures are also present in great diversity, particularly in Pleurothallis, Restrepia, and Masdevallia.
Subtribe Oncidiinae includes genera like Fernandezia, Macroclinium, Psygmorchis, and Sigmatostalix, which are also almost exclusively miniatures of great beauty and biological interest. Miniatures can also be found in other orchid groups such as Maxillariinae.
The tremendous diversity, beauty, interesting biology, and morphology of miniature orchids have encouraged many people to grow these plants and discover that they are relatively easy to cultivate when given the right conditions. These plants flower very often and take very little space, making them great for hobbyists. The study and cultivation of these treasures of nature are increasing and allow for a better survival chance of many miniature orchids that in nature are greatly endangered.
[Editor’s note: Some of these generic names are now considered synonyms.]
Conservation biology
Evolution and conservation of endemic orchids of the Upper Pastaza Watershed of eastern Ecuador
Lou Jost*1, Mark Whitten2, Kurt Neubig2,3, Lorena Endara2,3, and Andy Shephard
1Via a Runtun, Baños, Tungurahua, Ecuador; 2Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, P. O. Box 117800, Gainesville, FL 32611-7800, USA; 3Department of Botany, 220 Bartram Hall, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611-8526, USA
The Upper Pastaza Watershed in east-central Ecuador has more strictly endemic plant species than the Galapagos, and about half of these are orchids. The most interesting of these are the approximately 30 species of Teagueia (Pleurothallidinae) discovered over the last eight years. DNA work shows that the evolutionary radiation that generated these species is one of the fastest ever documented for plant species but far longer than some speciation times that have occasionally been postulated for orchids. Mean speciation times are on the order of 100,000-300,000 years, based on an ITS molecular clock. The new species of Teagueia form a monophyletic group, and their radiation is geographically organized, with one major radiation north of the Rio Pastaza and another south of it. Recent advances in population genetics show that speciation in subdivided populations is far easier than previously thought, and this may help explain the high diversity of genera such as Teagueia and Lepanthes in the Andes. Upper Pastaza Watershed Teagueia species and other endemic orchid species are not randomly distributed but form distinctive distribution patterns. There are identifiable hotspots where conservation measures can protect most of the endemic species in the area. The EcoMinga Foundation has been formed to protect these areas and has now established four reserves (including one in collaboration with the Ceiba Foundation) totaling 3600 ha of mostly virgin forest. The largest reserve protects a mountain that supports 16 sympatric species of Teagueia.
POSTERS
Those interested in participating in the poster session for the 22nd World Orchid Conference should complete the form below (in English or Spanish) and send it by email to before 1 January 2017.
FORMAT FOR POSTER ABSTRACTS:
Author(s): (First name(s), Last name(s); use * for author’s contact information and numerical superscripts to indicate the address of each author.)Address(es):
Email address of corresponding author:
Title:
Proposed session (Science, Horticulture or Conservation Biology):
Abstract: (Less than 250 words. If appropriate, include statement of the problem, materials and methods, results, and conclusions. Never use “will be discussed” or “will be presented.”)
FORMAT FOR POSTER PRESENTATION DURING THE CONFERENCE:
Poster dimensions: 80 × 100 cm (= 32” × 40”). This will be the space assigned for the exhibition of the poster for the corresponding session).
Orientation of the poster: Vertical
Items that should be included on the poster: Title, authors, email address of the primary author, affiliations, introduction, materials and methods, results, conclusions.
Tables and graphics: Should be legible from a distance.
Photographs: Should be high resolution.