At 6:02 pm, President Barbara Saunders called the meeting of the Society to order. Vice-President Ken Chaya then introduced the first speaker, Javier Izquierdo, Assistant Professor of Biology at Hofstra University. His talk, entitled “Improving the Health of Plants by Spying on Conversations Underfoot Between the American Beachgrass and Its Microbiome,” described his group’s efforts to understand the complex interactions between this critical dune-dweller and its associated microorganisms. American Beachgrass, Ammophila breviligulata, is a key component of the beaches of the east coast of North America, forming and stabilizing the sand dunes upon which many species depend. Despite growing in a nutrient-poor environment, Ammophila spreads rapidly via lateral roots and reaches a height of two to three feet by the end of the growing season. The stands of grass provide shelter for many organisms such as Piping Plovers, Vesper Sparrows, and Short-eared Owls, and food for herbivores such as deer, rabbits, horses and insects, and for seed eaters such as Snow Buntings. Given its importance to the maintenance of the architecture of sand dunes, efforts to repair damaged dunes involve replanting Ammophila in reconstructed dunes. These efforts are often only partially successful, and Javier wondered if this could be due to a lack of understanding of the microbiome associated with native stands of Ammophila. He and his group set out to describe and catalogue the variety of species of microorganism associated with the plants, and those found in the neighboring sand. Analysis involved sequencing the DNA encoding the gene for the 16S subunit of the ribosome. This DNA sequence is highly conserved, but small differences in the sequence between species allows for enumeration of the members of the microbiome. Remarkably, for such a nutrient-poor environment, there was evidence for upwards of a thousand different bacterial species. Using multivariate analysis of the data, Javier’s group has shown that the community of species intimately associated with the plants is distinct from that found in the sand nearby. This suggests a positive commensal arrangement between plant and microbiome. This idea is made plausible by the presence of many species belonging to bacterial genera associated with nitrogen fixation, and phosphate and ferric ion sequestration. Turning to an analysis of individual bacterial isolates, many showed the ability to produce the plant growth auxin indole acetic acid. Laboratory experiments showed that these isolates could indeed enhance growth of seedlings of experimental species such as Arabidopsis and Switch Grass. Current efforts include the sequencing of the complete genomes of suspected commensal bacteria, with the ultimate goal of assembling a group of species that could be used to promote healthy and successful regeneration of damaged dunes.
At 7:32 pm President Barbara Saunders reconvened the meeting and determined that the audience had many first-time attendees. Recording Secretary Hamish Young read the minutes of the December meeting. They were approved as read. In the absence of Secretary Lydia Thomas, President Saunders presented seven candidates for Active membership: Caryl Baron and Sylvia Alexander, sponsored by Barbara Saunders; John Wittenberg and Teresa Fung Pesek, sponsored by Ken Chaya; and Linda LaBelle, Jane Krenach and Jerry Krenach, sponsored by Mary Beth Kooper. The applications were approved unanimously. President Saunders announced that the City Council bill mandating bird-safe glass in all new buildings, is now law. She also informed the membership that Michael Flynn, a member since 1937, has reached his hundredth birthday. A letter will be sent to him on behalf of the Society offering our best wishes. President Saunders passed on word from Kathryn Heintz that a meeting will be held on January 28th concerning the Jones Beach West End Energy Project. She reminded the membership that the Eisenmann Medal awardee and speaker is Stephen Kress. Annual Dinner invitations will be posted mid-January. She also asked for suggestions for speakers for next season. Field observations included a Painted Bunting (possibly a juvenile male) in Brooklyn Bridge Park, a Varied Thrush in Prospect Park, an Iceland Gull in Central Park’s Reservoir, a Brown Pelican off the Battery, and a Harlequin Duck in Sheepshead Bay. It was also noted that the numbers of Rusty Blackbirds in Pelham Bay Park are much higher this year. In contrast, Chickadees and Titmice are notably absent in the Metropolitan area. Finally, President Saunders reminded members of the new Instagram account and to check the Society website.
President Saunders then introduced Ardith Bondi, Linnaean Society member, wild-life photographer and flautist. Her talk “A Tale of Many Penguins: Finding Them, Photographing Them and Comparing Them,” described the eighteen species in six genera that make up the family. They are found in a wide variety of habitats ranging from the Antarctic ice to mangrove swamps, but all have adaptations to a flightless diving existence. Although convergent evolution has made for many morphological similarities to the northern hemisphere Alcidae, they are more closely related to the Albatrosses and Petrels. Common anatomical and morphological features of all penguins are the adaptation of the wings as flippers, with fused and heavier bones, capable of swiveling motion for underwater maneuverability, countershading to avoid predation, and closely packed feathers that act as insulators against the often harsh external environment. Insulation is also aided by a thick layer of fat under the skin. Because of the need to maintain the complete protection provided by the feathers, penguins undergo a “catastrophic molt,” in which they remain ice- or land-bound while the feathers grow back. This may take up to four weeks. Ardith also described the predators to which penguins are subject, such as Leopard Seals, Sea Lions and Orcas in the ocean and Skuas, Giant Petrels and Kelp Gulls that attack on land or ice. She also emphasized the disastrous effects of human intervention on the populations of several species, not only by over-fishing of their food sources, but also in the past by guano mining of their nest sites and harvesting for their oils. Some species have lost over 90 percent of their historical numbers. Happily, governments and private individuals have made concerted efforts to preserve penguins, including the African Penguin in South Africa and the White-flippered and Little Blue Penguins in New Zealand. Some species adapt well to man-made structures for nest sites and can be bred in captivity, although some such as the Yellow-eyed Penguin of New Zealand, will not do so. As Ardith’s photographs so eloquently demonstrated, penguins excite our admiration for their exquisite adaptations to their environment and we must hope that efforts to protect them and their environment are successful.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:55 pm.
Respectfully submitted by
Hamish Young, Recording Secretary