Journal article
Establishing a Wild, Ex Situ Population of a Critically Endangered Shade-Tolerant Rainforest Conifer: A Translocation Experiment
PloS one, Vol.11(7), pp.e0157559-e0157559
2016
PMCID: PMC4942103
PMID: 27403527
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Source: InCites
Abstract
Translocation can reduce extinction risk by increasing population size and geographic range, and is increasingly being used in the management of rare and threatened plant species. A critical determinant of successful plant establishment is light environment. Wollemia nobilis (Wollemi pine) is a critically endangered conifer, with a wild population of 83 mature trees and a highly restricted distribution of less than 10 km2. We used under-planting to establish a population of W. nobilis in a new rainforest site. Because its optimal establishment conditions were unknown, we conducted an experimental translocation, planting in a range of different light conditions from deeply shaded to high light gaps. Two years after the experimental translocation, 85% of plants had survived. There were two distinct responses: very high survival (94%) but very low growth, and lower survival (69%) and higher growth, associated with initial plant condition. Overall survival of translocated W. nobilis was strongly increased in planting sites with higher light, in contrast to previous studies demonstrating long-term survival of wild W. nobilis juveniles in deep shade. Translocation by under-planting may be useful in establishing new populations of shade-tolerant plant species, not least by utilizing the range of light conditions that occur in forest understories.
Details
- Title
- Establishing a Wild, Ex Situ Population of a Critically Endangered Shade-Tolerant Rainforest Conifer: A Translocation Experiment
- Creators
- Heidi C Zimmer - School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, University of Melbourne, Richmond, Victoria, AustraliaCatherine A Offord - The Australian PlantBank, Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust, The Australian Botanic Garden, Mount Annan, New South Wales, AustraliaTony D Auld - Centre for Ecosystem Science, University of New South Wales, Sydney, AustraliaPatrick J Baker - School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, University of Melbourne, Richmond, Victoria, Australia
- Publication Details
- PloS one, Vol.11(7), pp.e0157559-e0157559
- Publisher
- United States
- Identifiers
- 991012894200502368
- Academic Unit
- School of Environment, Science and Engineering; Science; Faculty of Science and Engineering
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article