Lower Plants in Nature – free lecture series

Birkbeck Free Lecture Series.

Friday evenings 14th October to 18th November 2016. Lecture Theatre B34, Birkbeck, University of London, Torrington Square. 18.30 – 20.00. Just turn up – no charge.

“Lower plants” is a term routinely used by botanists to include algae, bryophytes and ferns.  Here we are extending the definition to include lichens.  Species of some and, on occasion, all of these groups have a presence in most plant communities, where routinely seed plants are otherwise dominant.  That said, their presence is not always acknowledged by botanists in the field, often because of the need for expertise to identify them. The opportunity to engage with these interesting plants could be through joining the relevant British Societies, for example the British Lichen Society.  In this lecture series we will cover something of the basic botany of these Lower Plant groups and will emphasize their place in various plant communities, both in the British Isles and on a more world-wide scale.”

It is, perhaps, not widely appreciated that even Seaweeds occur in Bexley, along the coastal marshes,  sea defences and piers and, as the Thames gets cleaner, new species are being found here.

Oct 14th How plants got onto land. Prof Jeff Duckett, Emeritus Professor of Botany, Queen Mary University of London and Natural History Museum, London, Life Sciences http://nhm.academia.edu/Departments/Life_Sciences, Research associate.

Oct 21st Bryophytes. Silvia Pressel, Natural History Museum.

Oct 28th Ferns. Fred Rumsey, Natural History Museum.

Nov 4th Lichens – life in extreme environments. Pat Wolseley, Natural History Museum.

Nov 11th Microalgae – a brief exploration of their hidden world and global significance. Prof. David John, Natural History Museum.

Nov 18th Benthic marine algae (seaweeds) of Kent: ecology, floristics and conservation. Ian Titley.

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