scholarly journals Ex situ species conservation: Predicting plant survival in botanic gardens based on climatic provenance

2022 ◽  
Vol 265 ◽  
pp. 109410
Author(s):  
Georgia Thomas ◽  
Rebecca Sucher ◽  
Andrew Wyatt ◽  
Iván Jiménez
Author(s):  
Brett Summerell ◽  
Edward Liew

Phytophthora root rot is one of the most devastating diseases of perennial plants worldwide, affecting plants in food production, amenity plantings and in natural ecosystems. The impact of these diseases in botanic gardens can be substantial and can affect how a site may be used for months and years ahead. Management is critically dependent on avoidance of the introduction of the pathogen and effective hygiene protocols are key to achieving this. Additionally, botanic gardens have a key role to play in protecting plants and enhancing conservation outcomes through surveillance, education and ex situ conservation programmes, as well as through the recognition that they can be critical as sentinel sites to detect new incursions of pests anddiseases. The impact of several Phytophthora species on the in situ and ex situ management of the critically endangered Wollemia nobilis (Wollemi pine), which is highly susceptible to phytophthora root rot, is used to highlight the need to ensure management of these pathogens is a critical component of threatened species recovery and management.


Author(s):  
Paul Smith

Botanic gardens and arboreta offer the opportunity to conserve and manage a wide range of plant diversity ex situ, and in situ in the broader landscape. The rationale that botanic gardens have a major role to play in preventing plant species extinctions is based on the assumptions that (1) there is no technical reason why any plant species should become extinct, and (2) that, as a professional community, botanic gardens possess a unique set of skills that encompass finding, identifying, collecting, conserving and growing plant diversity across the entire taxonomic spectrum. Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) is the pivotal centre of a global network of c. 2,600 botanic gardens and arboreta, which includes living collections representing at least one-third of known plant diversity; world class seed banks, glasshouses and tissue culture infrastructures; and technical knowledge networks covering all aspects of plant conservation. Following the example of the crop conservation community, BGCI is promoting the concept of a cost-effective, rational,botanic garden-centred Global System for the conservation and management of plant diversity.This system will aim to collect, conserve, characterise and cultivate samples from all of the world’s rare and threatened plants as an insurance policy against their extinction in the wild and as a source of plant material for human innovation, adaptation and resilience.


2007 ◽  
Vol 38 (4) ◽  
pp. 559-566 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. Kati Loeffler ◽  
JoGayle Howard ◽  
Richard J. Montali ◽  
Lee-Ann Hayek ◽  
Edward Dubovi ◽  
...  

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (10) ◽  
pp. 3733 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcia de Almeida Monteiro Melo Ferraz ◽  
Jennifer Beth Nagashima ◽  
Michael James Noonan ◽  
Adrienne E. Crosier ◽  
Nucharin Songsasen

Artificial insemination (AI) is a valuable tool for ex situ wildlife conservation, allowing the re-infusion and dissemination of genetic material, even after death of the donor. However, the application of AI to species conservation is still limited, due mainly to the poor survival of cryopreserved sperm. Recent work demonstrated that oviductal extracellular vesicles (oEVs) improved cat sperm motility and reduced premature acrosomal exocytosis. Here, we build on these findings by describing the protein content of dog and cat oEVs and investigating whether the incubation of cryopreserved red wolf and cheetah sperm with oEVs during thawing improves sperm function. Both red wolf and cheetah sperm thawed with dog and cat oEVs, respectively, had more intact acrosomes than the non-EV controls. Moreover, red wolf sperm thawed in the presence of dog oEVs better maintained sperm motility over time (>15%) though such an improvement was not observed in cheetah sperm. Our work demonstrates that dog and cat oEVs carry proteins important for sperm function and improve post-thaw motility and/or acrosome integrity of red wolf and cheetah sperm in vitro. The findings show how oEVs can be a valuable tool for improving the success of AI with cryopreserved sperm in threatened species.


Oryx ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 52 (1) ◽  
pp. 108-115 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Lúcia M. N. da Costa ◽  
Peter Wyse Jackson ◽  
Ricardo Avancini Fernandes ◽  
Ariane Luna Peixoto

AbstractOver the last few decades botanic gardens worldwide have been encouraged to adopt complementary measures for the conservation of plant species from their own regions, combining in situ conservation efforts with ex situ methods, both in cultivation and in storage. This integrated approach is particularly important for botanic gardens in the tropics, which face the challenge of conserving a highly diverse and often threatened flora. We gathered information on the occurrence of threatened species in the natural vegetation reserves of 21 Brazilian botanic gardens. The data were collected from herbarium records in the database of the National Centre for Flora Conservation, and from the available plant inventories of these reserves. The results indicate that 148 species from the List of Threatened Species of Brazilian Flora are recorded as having been collected in the reserves. Of these, 51 species were maintained in the living collections of 18 botanic gardens and 83 species were recorded in federally protected areas. The occurrence of threatened species in the reserves of botanic gardens highlights the scientific value of these areas, as well as their biological, social and cultural importance for conservation. The results may be used to inform the planning of integrated conservation strategies for threatened species.


2014 ◽  
Vol 36 (5) ◽  
pp. 483 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria de Jesus Torres-Meza ◽  
Alma Delia Baez-Gonzalez ◽  
Jose Luis Ramos-Gonzalez

Mexico is one of the two centres of diversification of oaks (Quercus spp.) in the world, with 161 species, 66% of which are endemic. The local-scale analysis of trends in climate variables, using climate indices, can be useful in estimating both the potential benefits and risks presented by climate to oak populations. Since the minimum January temperature is an important limiting factor in the distribution of Quercus emoryi Torr. in Mexico, this study analysed trends in this variable in the area of distribution of the species and identified the populations likely to be affected by them. The RClimDex 1.0 software was used to analyse trends of nine climate indices related to minimum temperature recorded in 14 weather stations in the area of the species’ potential distribution in Mexico. Data from five stations showed significant trends related to an increase in minimum January temperature, whereas data from seven stations showed trends of a decrease in this variable. Populations of the species, mainly in the ecoregion containing piedmonts and plains with grassland, scrubland and forests in the Cuauhtemoc region in Chihuahua state, and Cuencame and Canatlan regions in Durango state, could be affected by these trends. The information on at-risk populations may be used for in situ and ex situ species conservation programs.


Oryx ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 49 (3) ◽  
pp. 416-424 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole Cavender ◽  
Murphy Westwood ◽  
Catherine Bechtoldt ◽  
Gerard Donnelly ◽  
Sara Oldfield ◽  
...  

AbstractWith 10% of trees (> 8,000 species) threatened with extinction there is an urgent need for botanical gardens to protect threatened trees in dedicated conservation collections. Species conservation is mentioned in the mission statements of most major botanical gardens, yet the actual conservation value of existing ex situ tree collections is low. We conducted interviews with members of the botanical garden community and organized a symposium at the 5th Global Botanic Gardens Congress to identify challenges and collect recommendations to improve living ex situ tree collections. We summarize and evaluate this information to facilitate gardens becoming more effective agents for global tree conservation. Experts agree that gardens offer valuable strengths and assets for tree conservation. Some challenges exist, however, including a lack of strategic conservation focus, collection management limitations, gaps in fundamental biological information for trees, and a lack of global coordination. Solutions are offered to facilitate gardens and arboreta of all sizes to participate more effectively in tree conservation. Prioritizing genetically diverse tree collections, participating in conservation networks, developing tree-specific conservation models and guidelines, and strengthening tree science research efforts are a few examples. Most importantly, a more coordinated global effort is needed to fill knowledge gaps, share information, and build conservation capacity in biodiversity hotspots to prevent the loss of tree species.


2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 37
Author(s):  
Tsira Mikatadze-Panstulaia ◽  
Sandro Kolbaia ◽  
Ana Gogoladze

Working group of the Department of Plant Conservation of the National Botanical Garden of Georgia (NBGG) have been participating in the global Millennium Seed Bank Partnership, led by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew since 2005. During the 2005-2018 period, within the scope of MSB-1 and MSB-2, seeds and herbarium samples of more than 1750 plant species and interspecific taxa, belonging to 107 families and 483 genera (more than 41% of Georgia’s flora) – 348 endemics of Caucasus and 151 endemics of Georgia, have been secured in the National Seed Bank of Georgia (NSB). Seed Bank data are managed in BRAHMS (Department of Plant Sciences of Oxford University). The collection of wild plant species is accompanied by the comprehensive database of geographical, botanical and habitat information. Later phase involves laboratory treatment and germination/viability testing (at least 500 seeds per species) and the long-term deposition and storage (under -20◦C temperature) at the National Seed Bank of Georgia. The duplicates of seed collection and herbarium vouchers are stored at the Millennium Seed Bank of Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, UK. Germination capacity and viability of collections in NSB is determined before cold storage of seeds, while at the MSB already banked seeds are tested.Keywords: Seed bank; Ex-situ conservation; Plant diversity; Botanical garden; Genetic resources


Lankesteriana ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Mirenda

Se ha escuchado a nivel mundial el llamado para la conservación de orquídeas, por parte de científicos, profesionales de horticultura, propagadores comerciales y los apasionados entusiastas privados, todos con diferentes opiniones sobre la manera para atacar este problema global. Las noticias han sido desalentadoras en relación al calentamiento global, destrucción de hábitat, desplazamiento de poblaciones nativas por parte de agresivas, exóticas e insostenibles depredaciones /cosechas de plantas y los esfuerzos impotentes para hacer cumplir las protecciones legales. Se han dedicado muchas ideas y esfuerzos para determinar estrategias específicas para la conservación de orquídeas, incluyendo la protección al hábitat, la compra y preservación de los “puntos calientes,” así como las tendencias hacia la creación de reservas hortícolas, tanto nativas (reservas de los Jardines de Lankester, Fundación EcoMinga, Ecuagenera) y ex situ (jardines de orquídeas en Hawái, colecciones bajo vidrio, etc.). Tácticas como un banco de semillas, tecnología ADN, esfuerzos de propagación ex situ, así como eventuales reintroducciones, inherentemente dependen de recursos y propiedades de jardines botánicos y cultivadores comerciales responsables. Es este tipo de trabajo de horticultura el que ha salvado a otros géneros que no corresponden a las orquídeas, tales como Franklinia, Torreya, Wollemia, y especies de orquídeas como Paphiopedilum vietnamense, Epidendrum ilense, y Angraecum longicalcar de la extinción. Los jardines botánicos unidos bajo ciertas organizaciones como la Asociación Americana de Jardines Públicos (American Public Garden Association - APGA) y Jardines Botánicos para la Conservación Internacional (Botanic Garden Conservation International - BGCI), necesitan de una mayor cooperación y coordinación para el éxito de sus esfuerzos para la conservación de plantas. Además, es un aspecto crítico que los jardines botánicos se conecten con la comunidad científica (y viceversa), especialmente aquellos que mejor pueden asesorar sobreaquellas especies más amenazadas. Si las colecciones van a ser utilizadas en forma óptima, las sociedades científicas y de horticultura deben estar más conscientes de sus respectivos activos y prioridades. En el Primer Congreso Internacional para la Conservación de Orquídeas (International Orchid Conservation Congress - IOCC), se adoptaron cuatro resoluciones de la Estrategia Global para la Conservación de Plantas (Global Strategy for Plant Conservation – GSPC en inglés): 1): el 90% de todas las orquídeas amenazadas deberían ser asegurada en colecciones ex situ; 2) el 50% debería constar en programas para su recuperación activa; 3) Se debe considerar que las orquídeas están amenazadas cuando su cosecha no es sostenible; y 4) Para el año 2010, cada niño y niña debe estar consciente de lo que es la diversidad de plantas (incluyendo a las orquídeas). ¿C.mo podemos evaluar si se está logrando el progreso hacia estos admirables objetivos sin que exista una entidad que unifique y que pueda recopilar el progreso, la información y el grado de éxitos alcanzado? Al ver el esfuerzo desplegado en tantos lugares separados, es indudable que se necesita urgentemente este tipo de entidad. Constituye la meta de muchos jardines botánicos y una meta específica del Instituto Smithsoniano, el promover la diseminación de conocimientos y comprensión. Con este fin en mente, el anterior objetivo #4 constituye una particular prioridad. A pesar de que alcanzar la meta del 100% de conciencia compartida en relación a la diversidad de plantas para el año 2010, hemos iniciado un proyecto que nos permita comprender y finalmente corregir el llamado síndrome de “Ceguera relativa a las Plantas,” bajo el cual la persona promedio no considera que las plantas son seres vivientes (en el mismo sentido de los animales). Mediante el uso de encuestas y entrevistas personales, se está analizando este síndrome generalizado y penetrante para determinar sus caracter.sticas demográficas, hombre/ mujer, urbano/rural, jóvenes/ viejos, etc. Es imperativo para los educadores que identifiquen la edad en la cual dichas actitudes empiezan a introducirse en la psiquis de los jóvenes. Es necesario aplicar ciertas técnicas que permitan elevar el grado de conciencia de los individuos de todas las edades en relación a la importancia de la diversidad de las plantas y su conservación. Esto puede tomar la forma de presentaciones, exposición a especies representativas, paseos de campo y otras oportunidades educativas, que permitan cultivar un enfoque mental que comprenda y a la final proteja el mundo natural. 


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