Tropical Fern Biology and Evolution

Dr. Cicuzza is a Senior Assistant Professor at the University of Brunei Darussalam, and affiliated with the IBER (Institute of Biodiversity and Environmental Research, UBD) as Curator of the Botanical Research Centre. His research focuses on basic ecological questions such as the patterns of biodiversity and how anthropogenic activity influences it. He uses non-seed plant species as models to answer these questions. Recently, he has started a new research field on the structure and function of fern species in tropical ecosystems and how the structure and function allowed fern species to be successful taxa with a very ancient history. He has expertise in 1) Academic Education,2) Plant research 3) Botanic Garden Development and Curation. In his activity as Curator of the first Brunei Darussalam Botanical Garden, he is interested in plant conservation, ex-situ project, and international collaboration to preserve the great plant biodiversity of the island of Borneo and its crucial ecosystem services for local communities. He contributes to University education and citizen science projects in engaging the new generation in biodiversity and conservation projects to allow the new generation to recognize the great diversity and benefits that we obtain from plants, sometimes given for granted. Hong-Mei Liu is a conservation ecologist with research interests in plant species reproductive ecology, species interactions, and the population dynamics and viability of rare and abundant species. The latter includes invasive species. The ultimate goal of her research is to generate insights into the species’ ecology to guide biodiversity conservation and management efforts. Her current research focuses on the phylogenetic evolution of Pteridophyte plant species from temperate to tropical regions. I also study the population structure of rare endemic fern taxa, their dynamics, and conservation. she also focuses on the rapid assessment of plant diversity, using rapid DNA barcoding for conservation porpoises. Prof. Dr. Schneider studies evolution of land plants with focus on seed-free land plants in particular ferns and liverworts. In his research, he studies questions concerning the macro- and microevolution of land plants integrating phylogenetis and population genetics morphological and molecular evidence, extant and extinct taxa, biogeographic and ecological patterns, divergence time estimates. His current projects are summarized best as "Evolutionary Geobiology of Land Plants" and "Integrative Plant Taxonomy".His research interests focus on macroevolutionary patterns and processes that shaped the patio-temporal distribution of biodiversity with special emphasise on seed-free land plants such as ferns and liverworts. Current research foci comprise studies that aim to elucidate evolvability of plant lineages in the context of morphological disparity, genome structure, polyploidy, reproductive biology, and trophic interactions. The research encompasses phylogenetics including molecular clock analysis and the integration of molecular and morphological evidence, evolutionary plant morphology and anatomy, palaeontology, taxonomy and systematics.

• Part I: Fern Diversity and Distribution1. Global Distribution of Ferns and Lycophytes—the tropical centres of their diversity2. A phylogenetic perspective on the ecological disparity of ferns3. Assembly of tropical Fern Diversity trough time with focus on SE Asia, Neotropics, Afromadasgacar4. Latitudinal versus Altitudinal Diversity GradientsPART II: Fern community and Abiotic interactions5. Edaphic Factors in the upper Amazonas6. Epiphytes7. Community AssemblyPART III: Fern Biology8. The Gametophyte Challenge9. Water Balance and Photosynthesis10. Animal InteractionsPART IV: Fern New methods and Future research11. Endophytes — their hidden contribution12. Ferns in Anthropogenic Habitats and management13. Conclusion Glossary References Index