Can a Botanic Garden Metacollection Better Conserve Wild Plant Diversity? A Case Study Comparing Pooled Collections with an Ideal Sampling Model

Griffith, M. Patrick; Clase, Teodoro; Toribio, Pedro; Piñeyro, Yuley Encarnación; Jiménez, Francisco; Gratacos, Xavier; Sánchez, Vanessa; Meerow, Alan W.; Meyer, Abby; Kramer, Andrea T.; Fant, Jeremie B.; Havens, Kayri; Magellan, Tracy M.; Dosmann, Michael S.; Hoban, Sean

doi:10.1086/707729

Cited by 41 publications

(43 citation statements)

References 51 publications

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“…However, the ex situ plants did not capture a high proportion of the in situ alleles. Our estimate of 57% of alleles is lower than all but one value reported in a recent review (Griffith et al 2020) in which most ex situ collections contained more than 80% of in Note. N a p number of alleles; H o p observed heterozygosity; H e p expected heterozygosity; F IS p fixation index (GenAlEx 6.502); R s p allelic richness (FSTAT 2.9.4).…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 83%

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Genetic Diversity Assessment of Ex Situ Collections of EndangeredQuercus hinckleyi

Backs

Hoban

Ashley

2021

International Journal of Plant Sciences

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Premise of research. Conservation of imperiled plant species can benefit from ex situ collections, including the living collections of botanic gardens and arboreta. Such living collections should strive to capture and maintain the genetic diversity found in the remaining wild populations. Ex situ collections may also harbor genetic variability that has been lost from wild populations. Quercus hinckleyi is an extremely rare (International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources [IUCN] Critically Endangered) oak known from a few sites in Presidio County, Texas. It is the only native US oak protected under the Endangered Species Act. Here we evaluate the genetic variation of the Q. hinckleyi ex situ metacollection relative to that of the remnant in situ population. Methodology. We apply microsatellite genotyping to Q. hinckleyi sampled from plants growing in ex situ collections (N p 22, from nine gardens) and compare the results with genetic studies of the in situ population. We compare allelic diversity, genotypic diversity, and population structure. Pivotal results. The ex situ metacollection is small but has high allelic diversity and captures about 57% of the allelic diversity of the wild population. Ex situ plants contain 22 new alleles that contribute 13% of the species' total allelic diversity. All ex situ individuals have unique genotypes, none of which were found in situ, and thus they comprise 15% of the species' genotypic variation. The ex situ plants align with only one of three genetic clusters identified in situ, demonstrating an important gap in the ex situ metacollection. Conclusions. The ex situ collection of Q. hinckleyi, while small, is genetically diverse and provides additional allelic and genotypic diversity not currently existing in situ. However, a significant portion of genetic diversity is lacking from ex situ plants, with the metacollection likely derived from only one of the in situ clusters. Collecting seed from the other clusters is a high priority.

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Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 83%

“…Our goal in the current study is to determine to what extent combined ex situ collections, that is, metacollections (Griffith et al 2020), of Q. hinckleyi can aid in its conservation. We address three questions: (1) Given the propensity for cloning in Q. hinckleyi, do ex situ trees harbor unique genotypes currently not identified in situ?…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Genetic Diversity Assessment of Ex Situ Collections of EndangeredQuercus hinckleyi

Backs

Hoban

Ashley

2021

International Journal of Plant Sciences

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“…This challenge of maintaining living plants in collections for conservation value is exacerbated by a lack of infrastructure to coordinate metacollections and manage them collaboratively across institutions (Griffith et al. 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Zoos face similar challenges, which led them to develop a robust system to manage ex situ collections as metapopulations. For species maintained at multiple botanic gardens, total potential genetic diversity held ex situ can be higher (Griffith et al 2020), but this is often not the case because many collections are derived from the same source, or are even clones of the same plants, and may represent a limited number of unique founders (Brütting et al 2013). With so few founders and limited collection sizes, the long-term viability of many ex situ plant populations is questionable.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…With so few founders and limited collection sizes, the long-term viability of many ex situ plant populations is questionable. This challenge of maintaining living plants in collections for conservation value is exacerbated by a lack of infrastructure to coordinate metacollections and manage them collaboratively across institutions (Griffith et al 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Applying the zoo model to conservation of threatened exceptional plant species

Wood

Ballou

Callicrate

et al. 2020

Conservation Biology

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Maintaining a living plant collection is the most common method of ex situ conservation for plant species that cannot be seed banked (i.e., exceptional species). Viability of living collections, and their value for future conservation efforts, can be limited without coordinated efforts to track and manage individuals across institutions. Using a pedigree-focused approach, the zoological community has established an inter-institutional infrastructure to support long-term viability of captive animal populations. We assessed the ability of this coordinated metacollection infrastructure to support the conservation of 4 plant species curated in living collections at multiple botanic gardens around the world. Limitations in current practices include the inability to compile, share, and analyze plant collections data at the individual level, as well as difficulty in tracking original provenance of ex situ material. The coordinated metacollection framework used by zoos can be adopted by the botanical community to improve conservation outcomes by minimizing the loss of genetic diversity in collections. We suggest actions to improve ex situ conservation of exceptional plant species, including developing a central database to aggregate data and track unique individuals of priority threatened species among institutions and adapting a pedigree-based population management tool that incorporates life-history aspects unique to plants. If approached collaboratively across regional, national, and global scales, these actions could transform ex situ conservation of threatened plant species.

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Aging varies greatly within a single genus: A demographic study of Rhododendron spp. in botanic gardens

Baden,

Colchero,

Cubey

et al. 2023

American J of Botany

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PREMISE OF THE STUDYThere is mounting evidence that age matters in plant demography, but also indications that relationships between age and demographic rates may vary significantly among species. Age‐based plant demographic data, however, is time‐consuming to collect, and still lacking for most species, and little is known about general patterns across species or what may drive differences.METHODSWe used individual birth and death records for twelve Rhododendron species from botanical gardens and conducted Bayesian survival trajectory analyses to assess how mortality changed with age. We calculated the demographic measures of aging rate, lifespan equality, and life expectancy for each species, and assessed their relationships with the climatic conditions at species’ sites of ancestral origin and with taxonomic group (subgenus).KEY RESULTSWe found substantial among‐species variation in survival trajectories, with mortality increasing, decreasing, or remaining constant with advancing age. Moreover, we found no relationships between demographic measures and ancestral climatic conditions but there were statistically significant differences among taxonomic groups in the rate of change in mortality with age (aging rate).CONCLUSIONSWe conclude that demographic consequences of aging can differ qualitatively, even among species in the same genus. In addition, taxonomic trends in aging rates indicate they may be genetically determined even though evolutionary drivers are still unclear. Furthermore, we suggest there is untapped potential in using botanic garden records in future studies on plant life history.This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

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Can a Botanic Garden Metacollection Better Conserve Wild Plant Diversity? A Case Study Comparing Pooled Collections with an Ideal Sampling Model

Cited by 41 publications

References 51 publications

Genetic Diversity Assessment of Ex Situ Collections of EndangeredQuercus hinckleyi

Genetic Diversity Assessment of Ex Situ Collections of EndangeredQuercus hinckleyi

Applying the zoo model to conservation of threatened exceptional plant species

Aging varies greatly within a single genus: A demographic study of Rhododendron spp. in botanic gardens

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