Meet the Scientist

Name: John J. Engel
Position/Title: Curator, Bryology
Department: Botany

1. What do you study related to biodiversity (what are your research questions, what organisms do you work on)?

I am interested in the systematics and phytogeography of hepatics or liverworts of south temperate and subantarctic regions. These geographic areas present an ideal natural laboratory to investigate biological questions relevant to evolutionary persistence, dispersibility, and survival and evolution of plants faced with environmental change.

Within that framework I am engaged in detailed, in-depth (monographic) studies of various groups, including Geocalycaceae for Australasia (with particular reference to Chiloscyphus and Heteroscyphus) and Telaranea for Australasia. Within that same framework I am also interested in floristic research, and I am working toward a Hepatic Flora of New Zealand (see below). I am also investigating problems involving functional morphology of hepatic structures and I am doing so in a broad evolutionary context. My program includes elements of biogeography, ecology, morphology, and phylogeny.

2. How do you study biodiversity (for example, what technological tools and methodologies do you use in your research)?

Hepatics are small plants and special tools are essential for their manipulation and study. Light microscopy is essential and on going, and I also make use of the scanning electron microscope for examination of various morphological structures. Fieldwork is an integral part of my research program, and I actively study specimens that I have collected. Herbarium materials, particularly the historical collections, are also critical to my program.

3. Where do you study biodiversity?

I study biodiversity in south temperate and subantarctic areas of the world. I have conducted fieldwork on the Juan Fernandez Islands, southern Chile, the Falkland Islands, Kerguelen Island, New Zealand, Tasmania, Australia, Costa Rica, and Spain.

4. How might your research have implications for biological conservation?

With regard to our current research, one direct application to biological conservation is joint work with Matt von Konrat in New Zealand. A recent analysis published in the scientific journal, Nature, led by Norman Myers, has identified New Zealand as one of twenty-five global biodiversity "hotspots." These are areas that feature exceptional concentrations of endemic species and that experience exceptional loss of habitat. The liverwort flora of New Zealand is almost unparalleled anywhere on the globe and home to ca. 10% of the world's liverwort species and, more importantly, has 48 of the 73 extant liverwort families.

Furthermore, New Zealand has over 200 liverwort species found nowhere else in the world. The impact of potential pressures, such as microhabitat loss and fragmentation, on the liverwort flora has never been previously investigated in a New Zealand context and, hence, little is known about their conservation status. Our research is providing essential knowledge regarding the taxonomic diversity, distribution, and ecology of critical liverwort taxa, as well as identifying potential threats to the liverwort flora. This information is being used to develop a series of recommendations for the recovery of rare and endangered New Zealand liverworts for local conservation managers.

5. How did you become interested in science? What made you want to be a scientist, and how did you get to The Field Museum?

Throughout my life I have been interested in the out-of-doors, and the beauty of nature and the diversity of biological organisms have particularly intrigued me. I developed an early interest in small organisms and the intricacies revealed with the use of microscopy. Liverworts are a wonderful tool for these objectives. I came to The Field Museum in 1972 and found it to be an ideal institution to address and pursue my research interests and to conduct a long-term research program..

6. Describe important collaborations for your scientific endeavors (describe your work with other researchers, organizations, or scientific groups, local or indigenous peoples, etc.)

David Glenny, Landcare, Christchurch, New Zealand; co-author of three volume Flora of New Zealand currently underway.

John Braggins, Auckland Museum; Research Associate, Field Museum. Various research projects, including a major study on liverwort surface structures.

back to Asian Biodiversity >>