Welcome to Nicola Bergh's homepage. I am a Specialist Scientist and Curator of Asteraceae (and other groups).
I am part of the Foundational Biodiversity Research & Services Directorate at the South African National Biodiversity Institute
Contact details:
The Compton Herbarium, Kirstenbosch Research Centre, Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens
Rhodes Drive, Newlands, South Africa, 7700
Email: n.bergh@sanbi.org.za
Tel: +27 (0)21 799 8724 / +27 (0)21 799 8800
ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0475-6222
 Dimorphotheca_sinuata_Namaqualand |  Stoebe muirii, Stilbaai |  Lasiopogon debilis, Knersvlakte |
|---|---|---|
 Arrowsmithia corymbosa, Drakensberg |  Oedera glandulosa, Hantam |  Stoebe alopecuroides |
I am interested in the generation and maintenance of genetic, phenotypic and taxonomic diversity.
I have an ongoing research program elucidating the phylogenetic relationships, taxonomy and evolutionary history of Cape Asteraceae or Compositae, particularly the tribes Gnaphalieae (everlastings or immortelles) and Calenduleae (African marigolds, Namaqualand daisies).
AFFILIATIONS AND ACTIVITIES:
Foundational Biodiversity Research & Services, The Compton Herbarium, SANBI Kirstenbosch (2006 - present)
President, Southern African Society for Systematic Biology (SASSB) - see link below
Editor, International Journal of Plant Sciences (since 2019).
Honorary Research Associate, Department of Biological Sciences and Bolus Herbarium, University of Cape Town (2007 - present)
Local Organising Committee for SASSB 2021 (postponed from July 2020) - see link below (note: this is an outdated link)
Publications
Rob D Smissen, Randall J Bayer, Nicola G Bergh, Ilse Breitwieser, Susana E Freire, Mercè Galbany‐Casals, Alexander N Schmidt‐Lebuhn, Josephine M Ward. 2020. A revised subtribal classification of Relhaniinae (Asteraceae). Taxon 69(4): 778 - 806. https://doi.org/10.1002/tax.12294
Bergh, N. G. & Manning, J. C. 2019. Achyranthemum N.G.Bergh, a new genus segregated from Syncarpha DC. (Asteraceae, Gnaphalieae). South African Journal of Botany 125: 434 - 456.
Bergh, N.G. & Verboom, G.A. 2011. Anomalous capitulum structure and monoecy may confer flexibility in sex allocation and life history evolution in the Ifloga lineage of paper daisies (Compositae: Gnaphalieae). American Journal of Botany 98 (7): 1113 - 1127.
Andres-Sanchez, S., Verboom, G.A., Galbany-Casals, & M., Bergh, N.G. 2018. Phylogenetic relationships in the basal lineages of Helichrysum (Asteraceae, Gnaphalieae): implications for morphological and chromosomal evolution. Plant Systematics and Evolution. doi: 10.1111/jse.12472
McKenzie, R.J. & Bergh N.G. 2018. Proposal to conserve the name Arctotis calendula (Arctotheca calendula) against Arctotis tristis (Arctotheca tristis) (Asteraceae: Arctotideae). Taxon 67(4): 813 – 814. DOI https://doi.org/10.12705/674.18
Kemp, J.E., Bergh, N.G., Soares, & M., Ellis, A.G. 2018. Dominant pollinators drive non-random community assembly and shared flower colour patterns in daisy communities. Annals of Botany (online early 10 July 2018). https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcy126.
Bergh, N.G., Bentley, J., & Verboom, G.A. 2018. Classification of the Relhania generic group (Asteraceae, Gnaphalieae) revisited using molecular phylogenetics. Phytotaxa 344 (2): 101 – 132. doi: https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.344.2.1.
Bentley, J., Verboom, G.A., & Bergh, N.G. 2017. Species-level phylogenetic analysis in the Relhania clade of ‘everlastings’ and a new generic treatment for species previously assigned to Macowania and Arrowsmithia (Asteraceae: Gnaphalieae). Taxon 66(6): 1421 – 1438. doi: https://doi.org/10.12705/666.9.
Bergh, N.G. & McKenzie, R.J. 2016. A Revision of Heterolepis (Asteraceae: Cichorioideae). South African Journal of Botany 105:194 – 210.
Bentley, J., Klaassen, E.S. & Bergh, N.G. 2015. Philyrophyllum (Asteraceae) transferred from Gnaphalieae to Athroismeae based on phylogenetic analysis of nuclear and plastid DNA sequence data. TAXON 65 (5): 975 – 986.
Bergh, N.G., Haiden, S.A. & Verboom, G.A. 2015. Molecular phylogeny of the ‘Cape snow’ genus Syncarpha (Asteraceae: Gnaphalieae) reveals a need for generic re-delimitation. South African Journal of Botany (100): 219 – 227.
Verboom, G.A., Bergh, N.G., Haiden, S.A., Hoffmann, V. & Britton, M.N. 2015. Topography as a driver of diversification in the Cape Floristic Region of South Africa. New Phytologist 207 (2): 368 – 376.
Bergh, N.G. & Helme, N.A. 2014. A new species of Berkheya (Asteraceae, Arctotideae) from the Northern Cape, South Africa. Bothalia 44(1), Art. #123.
Bentley, J., Verboom, G.A. & Bergh, N.G. 2014. Erosive processses after tectonic uplift stimulate vicariant and adaptive speciation: evolution in an Afrotemperate-endemic paper daisy genus. BMC Evolutionary Biology 14: 27.
Klaassen, E.S. & Bergh, N.G. 2012. Inclusion of the Cape genus Anisothrix in the Namibian-centred genus Pentatrichia (Asteraceae, Gnaphalieae) based on molecular phylogenetic analysis. South African Journal of Botany 78: 2 – 11.
Bergh, N.G., Trisos, C.H. & Verboom, G. A. 2011. Phylogeny of the ‘Ifloga clade’ (Asteraceae, Gnaphalieae), a lineage occurring disjointly in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, and inclusion of Trichogyne in synonymy with Ifloga. TAXON 60 (4):1065 - 1075.
Bergh, N.G., Nordenstam, B. 2010. Psednotrichia perennis (Asteraceae, Senecioneae): A new species from the Huila plateau, Angola. South African Journal of Botany. 76: 369 - 374
Bergh, N.G. & Linder, H. P. 2009. Cape diversification and repeated out-of-southern-Africa dispersal in paper daisies (Asteraceae - Gnaphalieae). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution (Special Issue: Origins and Evolution of a Biodiversity Hotspot, the Biota of the African Cape Floristic Region) 51 (1): 5 – 18.
Bergh, N. G., Hedderson, T. A. H., Linder H. P. & Bond W. J. 2007.Palaeoclimate-induced range shifts may explain current spatial patterns of genetic variation in renosterbos (Elytropappus rhinocerotis, Asteraceae). TAXON (56) 2: 393 – 408.
N.G. Bergh, G.A. Verboom, M. Rouget & R. M. Cowling. 2014. Vegetation types of the Greater Cape Floristic Region. Ch. 1, pp. 1-25 in: Allsopp, N., Verboom, G.A. & Colville, J.C. (eds.). Fynbos: Ecology, Evolution and Conservation of a Megadiverse Region. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
G. A. Verboom, H. P. Linder, F. Forest, V. Hoffmann, N. G. Bergh & R. M. Cowling, 2014. Cenozoic assembly of the Greater Cape flora. Ch. 5, pp. 93-118 in: Allsopp, N., Verboom, G.A. & Colville, J.C. (eds.). Fynbos: Ecology, Evolution and Conservation of a Megadiverse Region. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
Digital identification tool:
A digital interactive key to the Relhania clade of southern African daisies, using Delta-Intkey.
Bronwynne Busch & Nicola Bergh, January 2013
The Relhania clade is a group of about 120 species of mostly southern-African daisies that forms the sister group to the large, global radiation of gnaphalioid daisies.
This interactive key can be started from any character, and features illustrations of all characters, and all aspects of each species including geographic distribution maps.
Install http://delta-intkey.com/win32/intk32.exe and http://delta-intkey.com/testp/intkey.zip, then extract relhania_clade.zip and double click on intkey.ink to launch the key. Please read the introductory text accessible via the top left book icon on the intkey screen before using the key.
Please note that this is a test version of the key. You can help us to improve it by sending comments and suggestions to: N.Bergh -at- sanbi.org.za
Postgraduate and intern supervision
PHD STUDENT CO-SUPERVISION
Zaynab Shaik (current): Multi-locus species-level phylogenetics and evolution of the Stoebe clade (Asteraceae, Gnaphalieae)
MASTERS STUDENT CO-SUPERVISION
Thaabiet Parker (current): Phylogeny and taxonomy of the Cape marigold genus Dimorphotheca.
Robert Sadler (current): Phylogeny of the daisy tribe Calenduleae.
Zaynab Shaik (2019): Assessing species limits and the determinants of genetic differentiation in the Seriphium plumosum L. complex (Gnaphalieae: Asteraceae), a Cape Floristic Region-centred clade in South Africa.
Joanne Bentley (2010): Phylogenetics and biogeography of the relhanioid paper-daisy lineage (Asteraceae: Gnaphalieae): palaeoenvironmental evolution, migration and speciation in southern Africa and the greater Afrotemperate regions.
BSc (HONOURS) STUDENTS CO-SUPERVISED
Kumreshini Pillay (2021)
Sonja Stock (2021)
Zafar Monier (2021)
Robert Sadler (2019)
Thaabiet Parker (2019)
Klara Beckerling (2018)
Zaynab Shaik (2016)
Campbell Fleming (2015)
Sarah Haiden (2011)
Joanne Bentley (2010)
Christpher Trisos (2007)
Muri Soares (2007)
Andrew Letten (2005)
POST-DOCTORAL FELLOWS CO-SUPERVISED
Dr. Santiago Andrés Sánchez. Smuts Fellowship, 2013 - 2014. Project: phylogenetic and cytogenetic studies in Helichrysum Mill. (Asteraceae, Gnaphalieae) in the Cape.
Dr. Saúl Manzano Rodríguez. Smuts Fellowship, April 2021 - April 2022. Project: COMPOSITAS-SA: COMpositae POllen Study and Identification of Types for Applied Science in South Africa
HERBARIUM INTERNS SUPERVISED
Mandisi Sithole Dec 2006 - Feb 2007 Kirstenbosch Internship Programme
Itumeleng Moroenyane Dec 2006 - Feb 2007 Kirstenbosch Internship Programme
Zaynab Shaik Apr 2018 - Mar 2019. Joan Wrench Kirstenbosch Internship Programme
Lauren James Apr 2021 - Mar 2023. Joan Wrench Kirstenbosch Internship Programme
