Newton, Rosemary J.
Job TitleGermination Specialist
DepartmentSeed Conservation
SectionConservation & Technology
Science Teams:
Joined Kew: 2005
Foreign Language(s): Afrikaans
Qualifications & Appointments
BSc, Univ. Witwatersrand, 1995.
BSc (Hons) Botany, Univ. Cape Town, 1996.
MSc Botany, Univ. Cape Town, 2000.
Role
Research into seed dormancy, germination, post-harvest treatment, storage methods and longevity and their application to restoration ecology.
Current interests include solving seed germination and dormancy problems in conservation collections using an ecological approach. Recent research towards my PhD has included investigations in seed development, dormancy, germination and ex-situ survival of selected Amaryllidaceae species. Also of interest are post-harvest seed storage methods and seed longevity (particularly in families that are thought to be short-lived in the seed bank) with the aim of removing constraints to seed storage. Increasingly this research is being used for conservation and habitat restoration projects, such as recent research into challenges of reintroducing Salsola nollothensis in coastal dunes following mining in Namibia. The Bloomers Valley Enhancement Project evaluated different methods (direct seeding and various plug planting methods) of reintroducing wildflower species into a UK grassland at Wakehurst Place.
Projects
- UK Bloomers Valley: A Species-Based Approach to Mesotrophic Grassland Restoration
- Ex situ Conservation of the Flora of the Caucasus
- Development of Predictive Tool of Germination Requirements for MSB Collections
- Salsola nollothensis - Habitat Restoration in the Sperrgebiet on the Namibian Coast
- Solving Seed Germination Problems in Conservation Collections
- Role of 'Underdeveloped' Embryos in Germination / Dormancy Problems
- Maximising Seed Quality: Maturity and Post-harvest Studies
- Comparative Longevity (Orthodox Seeds)
Selected Recent Publications
Burke, A., Newton R., Boyce D., Kolberg H. & Brunner, I. (2011). Reestablishing a keystone species in an arid coastal environment: saltbush (Salsola nollothensis) in Namibia. Ecological Restoration 29: 25-34.
February, E.C., West, A.G. & Newton, R.J. (2007). The relationship between rainfall, water source and growth for an endangered tree. Austral Ecology 32: 397-402.
February, E.C., Higgins, S.I., Newton, R. & West, A.G. (2007). Tree distribution on a steep environmental gradient in an arid savanna. Journal of Biogeography 34: 270-278.
Newton, R.J., Bond, W.J. & Farrant, J.M. (2006). Effects of seed storage and fire on germination in the nut-fruited Restionaceae species, Cannomois virgata. South African Journal of Botany 72:177-180.
Selected Earlier Publications
February, E.C., Bond, W., Taylor, R. & Newton, R. (2004). Will water abstraction from the Table Mountain Aquifer threaten endemic species? A case study at Cape Point, Cape Town. South African Journal of Science 100: 253-255.
Holmes, P.M. & Newton, R.J. (2004). Patterns of seed persistence in South African fynbos. Plant Ecology 172:143-158.
Newton, R.J., Bond, W.J. & Farrant, J.M. (2002). Seed development, morphology and quality testing in selected species of the nut-fruited Restionaceae. South African Journal of Botany 68: 226-230.
Musil, C.F., Newton, R.J. & Farrant, J.M. (1998). Ultraviolet irradiation effects on serotinous Leucadendron laureolum seeds: altered seed physiology and ultrastructure, and seedling performance. Plant Ecology 139: 25-34.
