Plant conservation urgently needs a unifying vision of plant life cycle to support conservation planning. The lack of such a vision is glaring especially in the use of ex situ seed bank collections. Indeed, despite the growing use of seed bank facilities (1), and the deeper understanding of seed storage longevity and of dormancy-breaking and germination requirements of wild species, seed banks samples arguably suffer from low genetic diversity (2, 3). Consequently, the use of seed bank collections in translocation projects could result in negative outcomes in the face of future environmental stresses (4). Effectively using seeds in translocation activities also depends on post-germination plant propagation handling practices: protocols for germination developed in seed banks allow radicle emergence but often overlook or completely fail to address cotyledon emergence and thus the growth of fully developed seedlings. Furthermore, the survival of seedlings obtained in benign environments (i.e. laboratories), is often negatively affected during the earliest steps of cultivation: this stage is crucial because it dictates the number of available transplants and ultimately the success of translocation trials. Based on a case study from translocation project funded by the Migliarino-San Rossore-Massaciuccoli Regional Park in Tuscany (Italy), we focus on the methodology for selecting and generating suitable plant material and programming its release in the translocation sites. We also report results from the installation settings and monitoring over one vegetative season. The target species is Hypericum elodes L. a species threatened by climate change (5) living in swallow soft-waters pools, a notable category of freshwater habitat because of their biodiversity value and ecosystem services function (6). This species is able to spread both by seeds and vegetative propagation (7); hence, the plant material was generated from seeds gathered in the wild but also by clonal propagation. Based upon the knowledge of the species' breeding system, seeds were obtained through different hand-pollination techniques as well as through open pollination, to increase the number of genetic lineages in the offspring (8). Each lineage has been followed within the whole line of seed management from fruit set to the reintroduction step. Propagated plants were cultivated under near-natural conditions in pots of various size and shape. We highlight that laboratory seed germination guarantees the successful control of all sown seeds, especially in the case of seeds with special requirements for germination (e.g. light). We also discuss seedling development and transplanting by testing various methods of seedling cultivation to obtain adult plants. Specifically, different genetic lineages obtained from sexual reproduction have been included within plant assemblages to recreate a heterogeneous population genetic structure. In conclusion, we propose a methodological approach finalized to produce different types of suitable material with different strategies of colonization and genetic diversity degrees, to be used in appropriate combination to maximize success of the designed translocation.
DESIGNING PLANT TRANSLOCATIONS: HYPERICUM ELODES IN MIGLIARINO-SAN ROSSORE-MASSACIUCCOLI REGIONAL PARK AS A CASE STUDY
CARTA, ANGELINO;BEDINI, GIANNI;PERUZZI, LORENZO
2015-01-01
Abstract
Plant conservation urgently needs a unifying vision of plant life cycle to support conservation planning. The lack of such a vision is glaring especially in the use of ex situ seed bank collections. Indeed, despite the growing use of seed bank facilities (1), and the deeper understanding of seed storage longevity and of dormancy-breaking and germination requirements of wild species, seed banks samples arguably suffer from low genetic diversity (2, 3). Consequently, the use of seed bank collections in translocation projects could result in negative outcomes in the face of future environmental stresses (4). Effectively using seeds in translocation activities also depends on post-germination plant propagation handling practices: protocols for germination developed in seed banks allow radicle emergence but often overlook or completely fail to address cotyledon emergence and thus the growth of fully developed seedlings. Furthermore, the survival of seedlings obtained in benign environments (i.e. laboratories), is often negatively affected during the earliest steps of cultivation: this stage is crucial because it dictates the number of available transplants and ultimately the success of translocation trials. Based on a case study from translocation project funded by the Migliarino-San Rossore-Massaciuccoli Regional Park in Tuscany (Italy), we focus on the methodology for selecting and generating suitable plant material and programming its release in the translocation sites. We also report results from the installation settings and monitoring over one vegetative season. The target species is Hypericum elodes L. a species threatened by climate change (5) living in swallow soft-waters pools, a notable category of freshwater habitat because of their biodiversity value and ecosystem services function (6). This species is able to spread both by seeds and vegetative propagation (7); hence, the plant material was generated from seeds gathered in the wild but also by clonal propagation. Based upon the knowledge of the species' breeding system, seeds were obtained through different hand-pollination techniques as well as through open pollination, to increase the number of genetic lineages in the offspring (8). Each lineage has been followed within the whole line of seed management from fruit set to the reintroduction step. Propagated plants were cultivated under near-natural conditions in pots of various size and shape. We highlight that laboratory seed germination guarantees the successful control of all sown seeds, especially in the case of seeds with special requirements for germination (e.g. light). We also discuss seedling development and transplanting by testing various methods of seedling cultivation to obtain adult plants. Specifically, different genetic lineages obtained from sexual reproduction have been included within plant assemblages to recreate a heterogeneous population genetic structure. In conclusion, we propose a methodological approach finalized to produce different types of suitable material with different strategies of colonization and genetic diversity degrees, to be used in appropriate combination to maximize success of the designed translocation.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
