Journal article
Conservation by translocation: establishment of Wollemi pine and associated microbial communities in novel environments
Plant and soil, Vol.411(1), pp.209-225
02/2017
Metrics
40 Record Views
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
This output has contributed to the advancement of the following goals:
Source: InCites
Abstract
Wollemi pine (Wollemia nobilis Jones, Hill & Allen) is a critically endangered conifer and living fossil. Translocation has been proposed as a conservation strategy to establish ‘back-ups’ to the wild population; however, knowledge regarding the environmental and biotic requirements of individuals planted in new environments is limited.An experimental translocation was established in a new location in the wild with Wollemi pines planted along a light and elevation gradient. Specific abiotic soil properties and associated microbial communities were linked to Wollemi pine performance in these new locations to inform best practice for future translocations.Our results indicate that soil properties can be used to select appropriate translocation sites that ensure initial establishment and growth. One year after translocation Wollemi pine had recruited a species-specific fungal community that persisted. Species-specific bacterial communities in their soil and roots formed in the second year after planting. Translocated Wollemi pines that were unhealthy and were not growing did not have the species-specific fungal community.The long-term functional consequence of this species-specific microbial community warrants ongoing investigation. This is one of the first studies to explicitly consider the role of microbial communities during the translocation of a rare plant and such approaches will be valuable for informing best translocation practice for other rare plant species.
Details
- Title
- Conservation by translocation: establishment of Wollemi pine and associated microbial communities in novel environments
- Creators
- J L Rigg - Western Sydney UniversityC A Offord - Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust, Mount AnnanH Zimmer - University of MelbourneI C Anderson - Western Sydney UniversityB K Singh - Western Sydney UniversityJ R Powell - Western Sydney University
- Publication Details
- Plant and soil, Vol.411(1), pp.209-225
- Publisher
- Springer International Publishing; Cham
- Identifiers
- 991012893699402368
- Academic Unit
- Forest Research Centre; School of Environment, Science and Engineering; Faculty of Science and Engineering; Science
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article