Selecting the best candidates for resurrecting extinct-in-the-wild plants from herbaria

Rocchetti, Giulia Albani; Carta, Angelino; Mondoni, Andrea; Godefroid, Sandrine; Davis, Charles C.; Caneva, Giulia; Albrecht, Matthew A.; Alvarado, K.; Bijmoer, R; Borosova, Renata; Bräeuchler, Christian; Breman, Elinor; Briggs, Marie; Buord, Stéphane; Cave, Lynette H; Silva, Nílber Gonçalves da; Davey, Alexandra H; Davies, Rachael M.; Dickie, John B.; Fabillo, Melodina; Fleischmann, Andreas; Franks, Andrew J.; Hall, G.; Kantvilas, Gintaras; Klak, Cornelia; Liu, Udayangani; Medina, Leopoldo; Reinhammar, Lars Gunnar; Sebola, R.J.; Schönberger, Ines; Sweeney, Patrick W.; Voglmayr, Hermann; White, A. C.; Wieringa, Jan J.; Zippel, Elke; Abeli, Thomas

doi:10.1038/s41477-022-01296-7

Cited by 15 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 52 publications

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“…With time, new ways to utilize herbarium collections emerge, and their potential grows with new analytical techniques. For example, recently, herbarium specimens have gained relevance for plant "de-extinction," resurrecting plants considered extinct in the wild using preserved seeds or tissues from herbarium collections (63). Herbarium genomics holds potential for informing and validating such resurrection efforts.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ancient DNA genomics and the renaissance of herbaria

Burbano,

Gutaker

2023

Science

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Herbaria are undergoing a renaissance as valuable sources of genomic data for exploring plant evolution, ecology, and diversity. Ancient DNA retrieved from herbarium specimens can provide unprecedented glimpses into past plant communities, their interactions with biotic and abiotic factors, and the genetic changes that have occurred over time. Here, we highlight recent advances in the field of herbarium genomics and discuss the challenges and opportunities of combining data from modern and time-stamped historical specimens. We also describe how integrating herbarium genomics data with other data types can yield substantial insights into the evolutionary and ecological processes that shape plant communities. Herbarium genomic analysis is a tool for understanding plant life and informing conservation efforts in the face of dire environmental challenges.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ancient DNA genomics and the renaissance of herbaria

Burbano,

Gutaker

2023

Science

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“…Currently, around 396 million specimens are kept in 3567 active herbaria [1]. Furthermore, a discussion has recently opened on the concrete possibility of resurrecting extinct-in-the-wild plants (de-extinction) from herbaria [7,8].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Herbarium Apenninicum (APP): An Archive of Vascular Plants from Central Italy

Conti,

Cangelmi,

Da Valle

et al. 2024

Diversity

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The Herbarium Apenninicum (international code: APP), hosted in the Floristic Research Center of the Apennines (Abruzzo, Central Italy), is approximately composed of about 80,000 specimens of vascular plants; 66,352 of them are mounted with data labels and entered in a database. The specimens from the Abruzzo administrative region (Central Italy) correspond to more than half of the collection (57.8% of the specimens), while immediately afterwards, other neighboring provinces of central Italy follow. Outside of Italy, the most represented areas are Morocco and southern European countries. Most of the specimens were collected between 2001 and 2020; nevertheless, the herbarium also contains two historical collections from the end of the nineteenth century to the beginning of the twentieth century. The herbarium houses 146 types.

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“…Concerning plants, de-extinction could be achieved by germinating or tissue-culturing old diaspores (i.e., seeds/spores) preserved in herbaria (Abeli & al., 2020). In any case, this would result in the recovery of actual species, not proxies, with major implications for plant conservation and the definitions of "extinction" and "de-extinction" themselves (Albani Rocchetti & al., 2022a). Moreover, it is important to note that an extinct species with accessions stored in ex situ collections such as germplasm banks is considered Extinct in the Wild (EW), whereas if only accessions exist in natural history collections such as carpological collections and herbaria, the species is considered Extinct (EX), ignoring its germination potential (Abeli & al., 2020).…”

Section: ■ Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In recent years, a few studies investigated the use of herbaria for recovering extirpated populations or even extinct species from seeds preserved in herbarium specimens (Nakahama & al., 2015; Abeli & al., 2020; Albani Rocchetti & al., 2022a), and several studies have shown that old seeds stored under suboptimal conditions in herbarium specimens can germinate (Magrini & al., 2010; Godefroid & al., 2011; Molnár & al., 2015; Cosac & al., 2016; Wolkis & al., 2022). Generally, germination of seed from seed banks should be preferred, as the material is stored under optimal conditions to maintain seed viability over time, so herbaria may be useful in exceptional cases, e.g., if no seeds from seed banks are available (e.g., Vincetoxicum pycnostelma Kitag.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Testing seed germination from herbaria: Application of seed quality enhancement techniques and implication for plant resurrection and conservation

Albani Rocchetti,

Brancaleoni,

Caneva

et al. 2024

TAXON

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Herbaria are an important source of data and material useful in many fields, including plant conservation. Seeds preserved in herbarium specimens may have the potential to germinate, although few studies focused on this topic. Here, the first systematic assessment of six techniques, including priming techniques and melatonin application, aimed at improving the germination of seeds from herbarium specimens is presented. Seed germination of 26 species common in Europe, some of which congeneric to extinct species, collected in herbaria and in the wild (20,549 seeds in total, including 19,509 from 297 herbarium specimens from 8 different herbaria) was tested with the following treatments: exogenous melatonin addition to the germination medium, priming with melatonin, osmopriming, hydropriming for 24 and 48 hours, standard soil, heat sterilization and gibberellins addition. More than 85% of the fresh seeds and 1% of the seeds collected in herbaria germinated, including seeds older than 50 years. Data show that treatment with exogenous melatonin had a positive effect on the germination of fresh seeds, but a negative effect on the germination of herbarium‐derived seeds. Furthermore, osmopriming treatment had a slightly positive effect on the germination of herbarium‐derived seeds. Osmopriming and exogenous melatonin addition seem to be promising techniques that need further investigation and improvement and might be useful for the development of an optimal germination protocol for old and herbarium‐derived seeds. The germination of seeds from herbaria could be an important tool in plant conservation, with the aim of reversing the extinction trend of many species through de‐extinction, safeguarding biodiversity, and genetic variability. This study provides preliminary data for the development of germination protocols, especially for old seeds of species of conservation interest, to maximise the chance of recovering lost genetic diversity and leading to the first de‐extinction ever.

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Selecting the best candidates for resurrecting extinct-in-the-wild plants from herbaria

Cited by 15 publications

References 52 publications

Ancient DNA genomics and the renaissance of herbaria

Ancient DNA genomics and the renaissance of herbaria

Herbarium Apenninicum (APP): An Archive of Vascular Plants from Central Italy

Testing seed germination from herbaria: Application of seed quality enhancement techniques and implication for plant resurrection and conservation

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