Aufgabenstellung | Pädagogische Überlegungen | Zusammenfassung | Abstract | Impressum
Labor | Laborprotokoll | HBLA Ursprung und Unterstützung | Eigenverantwortliches Arbeiten im Labor | Medienarbeit

'Cloning' – the last chance for native orchid species?
Students of HBLA Ursprung prove their commitment to endangered plants by applying unusual high tech methods

Orchids are among the most beautiful plants that exist. Unfortunately numerous species, most of them native ones, have been endangered by habitat destruction. So, for example, Cypripedium calceolus is threatened massively by extinction. In a project for preservation of species variety students of HBLA Ursprung have now taken up an unusual method. Supported by orchid breeders Lotte and Thomas Ederer (www.orchideenvermehrung.at) and Gunter Fischer from Salzburg university's botanical garden they multiply this endangered plant in their school's own lab with state-of-the-art biotechnological techniques. In cell and tissue cultures they can thus create an unlimited number of new little plants from just few single cells and plant parts. In the first months those cloned seedlings grow on artificial sterile nutritional solutions. Then they must be slowly adapted to their natural environment in the university greenhouse. By the way, Salzburg university is home to one of the largest Madagascar orchid collections. “As this technique is very difficult to master our students were trained on industrial orchids. With the help of this knowledge more than half of the native plants can survive in our school lab”
Konrad Steiner, responsible teacher at HBLA Ursprung , says. “Now we can even use this technique to help nature.” The aim of the project has been to multiply the endangered native plant Cypripedium calceolus by hundreds in order to make it a study object with the help of scientists. But according to orchid specialist Gunter Fischer the purpose of the project is reaching much further: “ With this outstanding project students get conscious of endangered species and they will try harder to preserve nature in the future.”
For – the things one know and loves are more likely to be preserved, even if this means standing in a lab for days on end.