Matt Renner

Current Research

Hypotheses of relationship and Papillolejeunea.

Papillolejeunea was described in 1997 based on material collected in Papua New Guinea.  Nine new species of Papillolejeunea have been described, eight from Papua New Guinea, and one from New Zealand.  The Papuan species are interesting in that they are epiphyllous and grow primarily on angiosperm leaves. 

Proposal, acceptance and rejection of hypotheses of relationship have not often been supported by evidence within the leafy liverworts. Nomenclatural changes are still made on the basis of no evidence by workers of this group. 

This may be related to the fact that the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature still has no formal requirements associated with synonymisation.  This is odd if rejection and acceptance of hypotheses of relationship have the same logical status.   

My research is devoted to testing hypotheses of relationship associated with Papillolejeunea against data. 

Papillolejeunea is known only from sterile herbarium material, and this restricts data sources available to me.  It effectively confines my investigative effort to those data sources that are available to all herbarium based bryologists, which is actually most bryologists. 

For this reason my research has become further concerned with how herbarium based workers might best resolve accurate and heuristic hypotheses of relationship.  I focus particularly on species because their accurate resolution is critical to all subsequent investigative effort. 

It is usually difficult to find characters that separate liverwort specimens that are similar to each other.  Though there are useful exceptions. 

Hypothesized transformations from pentacarinate perianths (plesiomorphic condition) to three derived conditions, each is unique to one of the three species currently lumped within Lejeunea tumida Mitt.   These diagrams illustrate how these transformations can be decomposed into three separate characters, one of which is common to all three.

 The lack of distinguishing characters is a challenge if you are trying to resolve relationships between individuals.  Most differences used to separate liverwort (and particularly Lejeuneaceae) species are founded on subjectively identified differences in size and shape of various structures.  But liverworts are variable in size and shape within species.

Variation in the position of 17 Landmarks on modules of Lejeunea colensoana Steph.  comb. nov. ined.

Liverworts also exhibit considerable overlap in size and shape of major structural components between species.

Ordination plot of 30 partial warp scores that describe linear deformation of 17 module based landmarks from a global consensus landmark configuration, for 680 modules from four species of Lejeunea.  Here the black modules are nested within the range occupied by the grey modules.

Specimens within species are also variable.  Some specimens may occupy mutually exclusive regions of morphometric or allometric space. 

Ordination plot for 9 specimens of Lejeunea colensoana (Steph.) comb. nov. ined. showing inter-specimens differences in shape based variation.  Based on same data as Figure 3.

It is primarily for these reasons that I have become obsessed by variation. 

I am using landmark and outline based methods to help me quantify and describe shape based variation. 

Highlights

There have been several highlights over the past two years. 

One of these was finding Lejeunea pattersonii in Australia, this species is currently believed to be endemic to New Caledonia.  It’s a relatively massive plant, so is pretty obvious.  It has undivided underleaves, which is unusual for a Lejeunea. 

Oil-bodies and shoot of Lejeunea pattersonii.

 Another was finding Lejeunea sordida on Mt Warning in New South Wales.  This plant is known in Australia, but not this far south.  Funnily enough it’s the only time I’ve seen it. 

Oil-bodies of Lejeunea sordida

Another was finding an undescribed species of Radula (the genus I studied for my Masters thesis) on the Lamington plateau.  This plant belongs in subg. Metaradula as can be seen by its oil-bodies, but is unique in that it has dome shaped papillae on its lobe surface, a character otherwise known only in two other species, neither in Metaradula. 

Oil-bodies of Radula sp.

I also had an awesome trip to the Chatham Islands in February 2006 with a mate of mine, Dave Clarke, to collect beetles as part of his research at UIC and the Field Museum in Chicago. 

I hate to skite, but we rock.  Apart from finding Amychus candezi, and the largest Ptilid either of us had ever seen on main Chatham, we saw Hadramphus and Scaphidiines on Rangatira.  O for Awesome.  Chur Dave. 

Amychus candezi and habitat, decaying Dracophyllum trunk, West Waitangi Beach main Chatham.   And yeah, Dave and I were stoked.

Little Mangere Island as seen from Rangiauria.  Aciphylla dieffenbachia, Myosotidium hortense and Disphyma papillata in the foreground.

Scabbing a lift Chatham’s style.  With Peter de Lange (left) between Rangatira and Pitt Island.

 The trip to Scotia Sanctuary in November 2006 was also a highlight.  Thanks Graeme.

Publications

Scientific

1)  M.A.M. Renner, E.A. Brown & D. Glenny (2006) Two new Zoopsis species and their relationships to other zoopsids (Jungermanniopsida: Lepidoziaceae). Journal of Bryology 28: 331-344

2) M.A.M. Renner (2006) Plants seen and unseen: Radula pseudoscripta and Radula uvifera (Radulaceae: Hepaticae). New Zealand Journal of Botany 44: 337-348

3) M.J. von Konrat, D.S. Glenny, P.J. de Lange, J.J. Engel, J.E. Braggins & M.A.M. Renner (2006) Rare and Endangered Liverworts: A New Area of Conservation in the New Zealand Botanical Region. Australian Plant Conservation. 14(1): 17-22

4) M.A.M. Renner & J.E. Braggins (2005) The sporophyte as a source of systematically relevant characters in Radula (Radulaceae: Hepaticae). Nova Hedwigia 81(3-4): 271-300

5) M.A.M. Renner (2005) Additions to the Radula (Radulaceae: Hepaticae) floras of New Zealand and Tasmania. Journal of the Hattori Botanical Laboratory 97: 39-79.

6) M.A.M. Renner & J.E. Braggins (2004) The sterile gametophyte as a source of phylogenetically informative characters in the genus Radula (Radulaceae: Hepaticae). Nova Hedwigia 78(1-2): 243-268.

7) M.A.M. Renner (2003) Mnioloma fuscum (Marchantiopsida: Calypogeiaceae); an unexpected addition to the indigenous flora of New Zealand. Journal of Bryology 25: 287-291

8) M.A.M. Renner & D. Glenny (2003) A new Cheilolejeunea (Marchantiopsida: Lejeuneaceae) from monane forests in New Zealand. Journal of Bryology 25: 169-174

9) M. Toyota, T. Shimamura, H. Ishii, M. Renner, J. Braggins & Y. Asakawa (2002) New Bibenzyl Cannabinoid from the New Zealand Liverwort Radula marginata. Chemical Pharmaceutical Bulletin 50 (10): 1390-1392.

10) M.A.M. Renner, D.J. Clarke & J.E. Braggins (submitted) A re-examination of infrageneric relationships within the genus Radula (Radulaceae: Jungermanniopsida). Journal of Bryology. 


Popular

1) M.A.M. Renner & J.E. Braggins  (2006) Hepatic records for Australia and New Zealand.  Australasian Bryological Newsletter 52: 9-13

2) M.A.M. Renner (2004) An annotated checklist of Bryophytes for Murphies Bush, Manukau. Auckland Botanical Society Journal

3) M.A.M. Renner (2003) Cololejeunea minutissima: An obligate muscicolous microepiphyll? Auckland Botanical Society Journal

4) M.A.M. Renner & J.E. Braggins (2003) Ecology and conservation of Lembidium longifolium (Lepidoziaceae: Hepaticae). Auckland Botanical Society Journal

Conferences

2005 M.A.M. Renner & E.A.Brown. Presentation: Reflecting on Relationships: Problems and Progress within the Lejeuneaceae. VIIIth Australasian Bryological Workshop, Paluma, Queensland. June 2005

2004: M.A.M. Renner & G. Wardle. Presentation: Epiphylls: Is it a small-world after all? Ecological Society of Australia Conference, Adelaide. December 2004

Panels

2005:  Threatened Bryophyte Specialist Panel member for the New Zealand Department of Conservation’s triennial threatened plant listing review process.  

Grants and Awards

2007: Faculty of Science Postgraduate Prize for Outstanding Academic Achievement (Biology). University of Sydney
2005: VIIIth Australasian Bryological Workshop Attendance Scholarship.
2005: Australian Systematic Botanists Society: Hansjorg Eichler Research Fund
2005: Linnean Society of New South Wales: Joyce Vickery Research Fund
2004: Australian Postgraduate Award.

2001: Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago: Donald Richards Study Award
2001: Auckland Botanical Society: Lucy Cranwell Field Studies Grant
2001: Faculty of Science Study Award, University of Auckland
2000: Francis Briggs Memorial Scholarship in Botany, University of Auckland.
2000: Senior Scholar in Biological Sciences, University of Auckland.

Gatherings

2006:  Peats Ridge Festival. 

Best bowling

1996: 13-2-45-6, for Avondale College 2nd XI against Onehunga College 1st XI.

Most Awesome Disease

2006: Non-specific orchitis.  Contracted at Scotia Sanctuary; dust, desert and dehydration.  Neh-sty. 

Spore of Radula physoloba Mont.