Surprise new orchid revealed

What is your greatest research ambition? I would like to contribute to improving the integration of understanding of the functioning of organisms, and of their interactions with the environment across large ranges of time and space. This would help in making post-genomic information more relevant to investigating environmental issues, and suggesting to those working at the molecular-to-cellular levels the most appropriate ways to address problems in Earth Systems Science. Life has survived many rapid and large amplitude environmental changes over billions of years, but we should not be complacent about the biological effects of current anthropogenic influences on the environment. At the most selfish level, we depend on the continued provision of 'ecosystem services' for our quality of life. Orchids are very well recorded in countries with many experts, so the confirmation of a new species in Britain has been met with delight. A new book, Britain's Orchids, by David Lang, describing the 50 or so native species in the country, includes a listing for the Lindisfarne helleborine (Epipactis sancta) which grows only in a patch of sand dunes on Holy Island, off the coast of northeast England. These orchids were thought to members of the dune orchid (Epipactis dunensis) species, but minor morphological differences had hinted at something unusual in this isolated population. New DNA studies confirm that the Lindisfarne helleborine is sufficiently distinct from the dune helleborine to deserve the new species name and many enthusiasts have been flocking to see the tiny population of around 270 specimens this summer.