As part of a large-scale metapopulation recovery effort, we reintroduced Jacquemontia reclinata to Site 102 while testing how breeding history affects survival and fitness of plants. Using whole plants produced from controlled crosses from six pollination treatments: control (bagged with no manipulation), selfed, crossed with sibling, crossed with far neighbor from a different patch > 20m away, and two between-site crosses (CR-SB and SB-CR), on April 7 2005, Fairchild staff assisted by Palmetto High School students outplanted 171 J. reclinata plants in a coastal strand/dune area currently under restoration. Previously dominated by Casuarina equisetifolia and Schinus terebinthifolius, the restored area was planted with J. reclinata ensuring that treatments were evenly distributed throughout. At the time of the planting we watered each plant with 1 quart of water. Site 102 staff watered plants when needed for two months and then ceased once the rainy season started. We first surveyed the experiment on June 1st, 2005 for survival and documented 27 mortalities. Mortalities may have been attributable to novice installation or plant health; the material had stayed in nursery conditions longer than was optimal. In July we also observed that some plants were brown and wilting. It appears that some plants received off-target herbicidal spray from maintenance crews treating Dactyloctenium aegyptium. We informed Site 102 staff and they have agreed to no longer spray in the area. Three of 4 major hurricanes passed through South Florida in 2005, but had very little impact on Site 102. However, Hurricane Wilma caused major damage to Site 102 in the form of downed trees and salt spray. We surveyed the site 2 wks after Wilma on Nov 11, 2005 documenting 114 live plants of 171 (67% survival). On May 2, 2006, 101 of 171 (59%) plants remained. On April 14, 2008, 75 of 171 (44%) plants were still alive. It is still too early to determine whether pollination treatments influence survival; we assume that off-target herbicidal spraying and stress caused by wind and salt spray from Hurricane Wilma contributed to mortality of the plants regardless of genetic stock. We have observed vigorous growth and some flowering on remaining plants and we will continue to monitor.

As part of a large-scale metapopulation recovery effort, we reintroduced Jacquemontia reclinata to Site 102 while testing how breeding history affects survival and fitness of plants. Using whole plants produced from controlled crosses from six pollination treatments: control (bagged with no manipulation), selfed, crossed with sibling, crossed with far neighbor from a different patch > 20m away, and two between-site crosses (CR-SB and SB-CR), on April 7 2005, Fairchild staff assisted by Palmetto High School students outplanted 171 J. reclinata plants in a coastal strand/dune area currently under restoration. Previously dominated by Casuarina equisetifolia and Schinus terebinthifolius, the restored area was planted with J. reclinata ensuring that treatments were evenly distributed throughout. At the time of the planting we watered each plant with 1 quart of water. Site 102 staff watered plants when needed for two months and then ceased once the rainy season started. We first surveyed the experiment on June 1st, 2005 for survival and documented 27 mortalities. Mortalities may have been attributable to novice installation or plant health; the material had stayed in nursery conditions longer than was optimal. In July we also observed that some plants were brown and wilting. It appears that some plants received off-target herbicidal spray from maintenance crews treating Dactyloctenium aegyptium. We informed Site 102 staff and they have agreed to no longer spray in the area. Three of 4 major hurricanes passed through South Florida in 2005, but had very little impact on Site 102. However, Hurricane Wilma caused major damage to Site 102 in the form of downed trees and salt spray. We surveyed the site 2 wks after Wilma on Nov 11, 2005 documenting 114 live plants of 171 (67% survival). On May 2, 2006, 101 of 171 (59%) plants remained. On April 14, 2008, 75 of 171 (44%) plants were still alive. It is still too early to determine whether pollination treatments influence survival; we assume that off-target herbicidal spraying and stress caused by wind and salt spray from Hurricane Wilma contributed to mortality of the plants regardless of genetic stock. We have observed vigorous growth and some flowering on remaining plants and we will continue to monitor.

Wild Jacquemontia reclinata populations have declined from 1000 plants at 12 sites in 1991 to less than 700 plants in 9 sites by 2002. Because the survival of J. reclinata depends upon the protection of remaining populations, augmentation of those populations and establishment of new ones, it is essential to determine outplanting protocol for successful efficient re/introduction to the wild. Past Fairchild outplantings using whole plant had reasonable survival, but because these require much nursery care and space, we tested whether the species could successfully colonize an area using seeds.
Few, if any, J. reclinata seedlings or young plants have ever been observed in the wild. However, in the greenhouse, seeds have been documented to germinate after 4 days on a mist bench. We sowed 11 seeds into each of 24 10cm X 15 cm PVC tubes; 12 tubes received additional water daily from July 10, 2003 until August 7, 2003, and then weekly until Sept. 11, 2003. Although other species germinated in our watered and unwatered experimental tubes, J. reclinata seeds did not germinate in the field with natural precipitation, and only 6 germinated in the tubes. Once germinated, 67% of the seedlings survived to last monitoring in Nov 2005.

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) were found in roots under natural conditions in native habitat, and greenhouse experiments showed that seedling growth was promoted by AMF when grown with native maritime hammock/dune soil. AMF promoted uptake of phosphorus (P) from these nutrient-poor soils, and seedlings responded to additions of phosphorus in the absence of AMF, which indicated that this species is not an obligate mycorrhizal plant (Fisher & Jayachandran 2002). Since AMF can enhance growth under natural conditions, we wanted to test the effect of AMF on success of outplanting of seedlings. Seedlings were grown in the Fairchild Tropical Botanical Garden nursery and then planted into a natural coastal dune habitat and monitored for almost two years (82 wk).

The results are difficult to interpret because survivorship is correlated to plant size, and the largest plants were those fertilized. However, if fertilizer was not used, AMF improved both plant size and survivorship. Thus, if fertilization is not recommended for these natural sites because of fear of eutrophication (especially phosphorus pollution), then AMF inoculation of nursery stock will improve plant growth and survivorship when seedlings are grown on native, nutrient poor soil.

The recovery of Jacquemontia reclinata not only relies on the protection of remaining populations, but will also rely on the establishment of self-sustaining populations through reintroductions to suitable habitat within its historical range. Fairchild Tropical Botanical Garden conducted a reintroduction to increase the number of populations of J. reclinata and to test how breeding history affects survival and fitness of plants. Using whole plants produced from controlled crosses from six pollination treatments: control (bagged with no manipulation), selfed, crossed with sibling, crossed with far neighbor from a different patch > 20m away, and two between-site crosses (CR-SB and SB-CR), on July 24, 2004, we outplanted 143 plants into a recently restored coastal/dunes area (~3400m2). We placed six plants, representing one of each hand-pollinated treatments, separated by 3m into twenty-four 15m-transects oriented perpendicular to the coast. We hand removed all vegetation with a 1.5 diameter of each plant and watered each plant with 1 quart of water at time of transplant. The timing of the introduction during the rainy season precluded the need for additional watering. We monitored plants weekly for the first month and quarterly thereafter. Becasue encroaching plants (exotic Dactyloctenium aegyptium and native Ipomoea pes-caprae and Canavalia rosea) rapidly grew and shaded the transplants, on January 28th, 2005 we removed vegetation within 1.5m diameter of each J. reclinata. After 4 years, the CR-BS cross had the greatest survival, while the selfed treatment had the lowest survival. This result concurs with other fitness measures from these crosses. We first observed seedlings in 2008.

A northern population of recently suffered extreme decline. Twelve Jacquemontia reclinata plants that were documented at Site 53 in 2001 all died by 2008. Three plants have recruited naturally. Although the original population was very small, the plants contained a high genetic diversity in comparison to other sites. To preserve the germplasm of the original population, Fairchild worked with land managers to preserve the remaining plants, collect seeds/cuttings, and propagate plants to augment on site. Due to high anthropogenic disturbance factors, land managers were concerned with introducing more plants to Site 53. Therefore Fairchild and Palm Beach County staff selected adjacent Site 117 for the augmentation, because the plants would be subjected to fewer disturbances than Site 53, thereby increasing their chances of survival. We conducted two separate outplantings of J. reclinata at Site 117 in consecutive years. In June 2006, with the help of Jupiter High School students, we outplanted 32 plants in open scrub/coastal strand habitat that we propagated from cuttings using material from Sites 53 and 14. See Maschinski et al. (2006), page 28 for collection and propagation methods. Once installed, all plants received a half gallon of water. For the first two months plants were periodically watered by County staff. We last surveyed the plants in May 2008 and documented 30 living plants that appear healthy, producing flowers and fruits. In June 2007, with the help of Site 117 land managers, we planted 34 J. reclinata plants just north of the June 2006 outplanting. Plants were propagated from cuttings using material from Sites 53 and 14. Planting, mapping and watering protocol followed the above June 2006 outplanting. We last surveyed the plants in May 2008 and documented 32 living plants that appear healthy, producing flowers and fruits.

As part of a large metapopulation study on July 19, 2007 with the help of volunteers, Fairchild Tropical Botanical Garden planted 324 J. reclinata plants within the dune habitat of the Miami-Dade County Natural Area. To test whether patch size influences plant survival and patch persistence, we installed 80 plants in each of three large patches and seven plants in each of 12 small patches. We spaced plants 1.5 meters away from each other to provide sufficient space for subsequent growth. After installation we watered all plants with 1/2 gallon of water and watered as needed for the next month. After two months 315 of 324 (97% survival) plants were alive.

In a 20 x 30m section on the leeward side of the permanent dune in the northern section of Gumbo Limbo Nature Center on May 25, 2002, Fairchild Tropical Garden researchers collaborated with land manager Steve Bass and Boca High School students to remove exotics, mostly Schinus terebinthifolius (Brazilian pepper), replant common, native coastal species and the federally endangered Jacquemontia reclinata. Scouts planted 18 plants haphazardly within the cleared dune. Transplants originated from 3 maternal lines that was germinated from seeds collected from wild plants in the adjacent natural area. Park staff watered the transplants more than once a week and then as needed throughout the dry season. Aggressive growth of H. debilis ssp. debilis and Bidens alba var. radiata (Spanish needle) within the dune made it somewhat difficult to relocate plants. On February 06, 2003, and yearly monitoring through Feb 2007, indicated 17 of the 18 (94%) outplanted individuals were still alive and thriving.

Fairchild Tropical Botanical Garden conducted an experimental introduction to test growth and survival of the federally endangered dune plant Jacquemontia reclinata in response to natural environmental factors (e.g., distance from ocean, salt spray and sand accretion) along the dune gradient. With only 9 populations with less than 700 plants remaining in mostly small isolated coastal strand along the southeastern coast of Florida USA, there is an urgent need to increase populations and total individuals in the wild. On September 21, 2001, we planted 90 J. reclinata at Site 6. All plants were borne from seed collected 6 maternal lines growing in the closest wild population (5 km distant). Along 3 parallel transects, we planted 6 plants into each of 6 plots spaced at 6, 19, 32, 45, and 58 m from high tide mark. After 1 month, we observed low survival (38%) in 6 m plots, which accumulated the highest levels of salt spray, however this mortality did not change in the next 5 yrs. Plants at 58m suffered mortality from herbivory within the first year following transplant, but then from shading from hammock encroachment. By 2007 survival was 39%, 72%, 61%, 78% and 11% at the 5 distances 6, 19, 32, 45, and 58 m, and we saw our first recruited seedlings. Using this study our successive introductions placed transplants along the dune gradient at mid-dune.

Dena Garvue worked to establish an ex situ collection of j.reclinata at Fairchild Tropical Botanical Gardens, and completed research techniques for efficient horticultural propagation. The resulting collection of plants included individuals raised from cuttings and seeds from six naturally occurring J. reclinata populations. Garvue successfully propagated plants from cuttings 15 – 20 cm long; these cuttings were treated with rooting hormone and misted frequently on flats of beach sand for two weeks and the seedlings were then transferred to individual pots. She also showed increased rooting success after treating cuttings with concentrated hormone solution. Garvue successfully propagated plants from seeds and her results suggest that seed germination success decreases with increased burial depth.

Dena Garvue worked to establish an ex situ collection of j.reclinata at Fairchild Tropical Botanical Gardens, and completed research techniques for efficient horticultural propagation. The resulting collection of plants included individuals raised from cuttings and seeds from six naturally occurring J. reclinata populations. Garvue successfully propagated plants from cuttings 15 – 20 cm long; these cuttings were treated with rooting hormone and misted frequently on flats of beach sand for two weeks and the seedlings were then transferred to individual pots. She also showed increased rooting success after treating cuttings with concentrated hormone solution. Garvue successfully propagated plants from seeds and her results suggest that seed germination success decreases with increased burial depth.

Dena Garvue worked to establish an ex situ collection of j.reclinata at Fairchild Tropical Botanical Gardens, and completed research techniques for efficient horticultural propagation. The resulting collection of plants included individuals raised from cuttings and seeds from six naturally occurring J. reclinata populations. Garvue successfully propagated plants from cuttings 15 – 20 cm long; these cuttings were treated with rooting hormone and misted frequently on flats of beach sand for two weeks and the seedlings were then transferred to individual pots. She also showed increased rooting success after treating cuttings with concentrated hormone solution. Garvue successfully propagated plants from seeds and her results suggest that seed germination success decreases with increased burial depth.

Fairchild Tropical Garden is conducting extensive ecological studies on J. reclinata including: pollination ecology, seedling requirements, propagation, genetics, and habitat characteristics (Lippencott 1990).

Fairchild Tropical Garden is conducting extensive ecological studies on J. reclinata including: pollination ecology, seedling requirements, propagation, genetics, and habitat characteristics (Lippencott 1990).

Matthew Fidelibus and Wright studied the effect of shade treatment on shoot and dry root mass. Plants grown in full sun developed 40-70% higher root mass than those grown in the shade. (Wright and Fidelibus 2004). A paper regarding these findings was published in Native Plants Journal in Spring 2004 (Wright and Fidelibus 2004). Jack Fisher and K. Jayachandran studied the influence of mycorrhizal fungi on growth and survival, especially in outplantings of J. reclinata. They discovered that under natural soil conditions, J. reclinata requires Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), but is independent of AMF when Phosphorus is not limiting. (Fisher and Jayachandran 2002)

Christopher Kernan conducted preliminary demographic studies on individual plants at Sites RR, SB, and CR measuring both the diameter of the basal stem and length and number of lateral stems. The study at Site CR was interrupted by a wildfire (May 1996) that burned over the J. reclinata population for several days. Monitoring soon after the fire indicated over 70% of the plants was lost; however, in subsequent monitoring in 1999, Hannah Thornton and David La Puma were able to relocate many of these plants. Kernan also found that the fire drastically altered the habitat at Crandon Park, significantly decreasing the amount of St. Augustine grass, a major competitor before the fire. (Kernan 1995)

Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden staff, with the assistance of many volunteers and land managers, transplanted hundreds of plants of the U.S. endangered Beach Jacquemontia (Jacquemontia reclinata) into suitable habitats along the eastern coast of Florida in an effort to reduce its risk of extinction. Since 2001, they have monitored the health and persistence of 19 Beach Jacquemontia reintroductions. When big weather events happen, they can make comparisons to previous years. Following heavy rains in 2011, one site experienced knee-deep freshwater flooding. The next year swells generated by Hurricane Sandy inundated Beach Jacquemontia with saltwater. At first glance, it looked very bad for the rare plant populations. Yet after these events, bountiful numbers of seedlings emerged. We hope that in time similar good outcomes emerge from recent storm events

Palm Beach nursery grower and landscaper Rob Barron outplanted J. reclinata in numerous Palm Beach privately owned properties. Seed from sites JB and Ay private site produced the majority of his original stock. The plants planted at Village of Key Biscayne are originated from CR stock (Barron pers. comm.)

In 1997, Janice Duquesnel and Liz Golden of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection outplanted J. reclinata at Site BB. Fairchild donated the plants. Only seven of the original 93 plants have survived 6.5 years after planting. Reasons for low survival rate may be herbivory, storm surge, and/or poor initial health. At the time of planting the health of some of the plants appeared to be declining. It is assumed that most of the plants died due to poor initial health rather than as a result of the outplanting.

In the past 11 years, Wright has re/introduced 1656 J. reclinata plants in 15 outplantings within 11 sites. Included within these outplantings was a study to determine survival related to breeding history. Data showed that the crosses between sites have the highest survival rates and the sibling crosses have the lowest survival rates. The sites in between crosses also produced the most offspring. Carol Lippincott completed surveys and some outplantings at Site CR in 1990. She took notes and recorded the locations of naturally occurring individuals, and outplanted 17 individuals at three sites within the park. Naturally occurring individuals were relocated and mapped by Kernan and Garvue in 1995 using GPS. Kernan and Garvue were unable to relocate individuals at two of Lippincott’s reintroduction sites, but four plants were believed to have survived at the third site. (Kernan 1995)Christopher Kernan conducted experimental outplantings at CR to determine expected survival rates of outplanted propagules derived from both seeds and cuttings in different micro-habitat conditions. Outplantings in partial shade displayed greater survival than those in full sun. Kernan's results suggests that dune topography did not affect the survival rate of outplanted cuttings. It was also found that outplanted seedlings did not survive as long as outplanted cuttings, mostly likely due to the small size of the seedlings used in this experiment.(Kernan 1995). Kernan also completed a second study, testing the effects of two different outplanting preparation techniques: treatment with herbicide versus removal of competing vegetation. The application of herbicide without the removal of the resulting mat of dead vegetation reduced the survival rate of outplanted J.reclinata cuttings. Kernan concluded that outplanted propagules would survive best in open sites free of competing vegetation. (Kernan 1995). Kernan and Garvue surveyed and mapped J.reclinata populations at sites RR, SB, and CR using GPS with sub meter accuracy. The vegetation plots at site CR were sampled and established by Kernan to determine the preferred the the preferred micro-habitat of J.reclinata within the coastal plant community. 21 plots were established along four transects running east to west from strand edge to coastal hammock. Kernan subjectively chose plot locations in order to represent changes in vegetation along the transect. According to the Principal Component Analysis, J. reclinata prefers partial shade.(Kernan 1995)

Dena Garvue worked to establish an ex situ collection of j.reclinata at Fairchild Tropical Botanical Gardens, and completed research techniques for efficient horticultural propagation. The resulting collection of plants included individuals raised from cuttings and seeds from six naturally occurring J. reclinata populations. Garvue successfully propagated plants from cuttings 15 – 20 cm long; these cuttings were treated with rooting hormone and misted frequently on flats of beach sand for two weeks and the seedlings were then transferred to individual pots. She also showed increased rooting success after treating cuttings with concentrated hormone solution. Garvue successfully propagated plants from seeds and her results suggest that seed germination success decreases with increased burial depth.

Frances conducted seed germination trials to test the effects of different storage treatments (temperature and seed moisture content) on seed viability. Preliminary results indicated that J. reclinata seeds can withstand desiccation to 5% seed moisture content and freezing to –20°C, indicating that seeds have orthodox seed storage behavior. Based on this information, an ex-situ collection of seeds will be stored long-term at the National Seed Storage Laboratory in Ft. Collins, CO.

Carol Lippincott completed surveys and some outplantings at Site CR in 1990. She took notes and recorded the locations of naturally occurring individuals, and outplanted 17 individuals at three sites within the park. Naturally occurring individuals were relocated and mapped by Kernan and Garvue in 1995 using GPS. Kernan and Garvue were unable to relocate individuals at two of Lippincott’s reintroduction sites, but four plants were believed to have survived at the third site. (Kernan 1995)
 

In the past 11 years, Wright has re/introduced 1656 J. reclinata plants in 15 outplantings within 11 sites. Included within these outplantings was a study to determine survival related to breeding history. Data showed that the crosses between sites have the highest survival rates and the sibling crosses have the lowest survival rates. The sites in between crosses also produced the most offspring.


 

Frances conducted seed germination trials to test the effects of different storage treatments (temperature and seed moisture content) on seed viability.  Preliminary results indicated that J. reclinata seeds can withstand desiccation to 5% seed moisture content and freezing to –20°C, indicating that seeds have orthodox seed storage behavior.  Based on this information, an ex-situ collection of seeds will be stored long-term at the National Seed Storage Laboratory in Ft. Collins, CO.
 

 Matthew Fidelibus and Wright studied the effect of shade treatment on shoot and dry root mass. Plants grown in full sun developed 40-70% higher root mass than those grown in the shade. (Wright and Fidelibus 2004). A paper regarding these findings was published in Native Plants Journal in Spring 2004 (Wright and Fidelibus 2004)

Jack Fisher and K. Jayachandran studied the influence of mycorrhizal fungi on growth and survival, especially in outplantings of J. reclinata. They discovered that under natural soil conditions, J. reclinata requires Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), but is independent of AMF when Phosphorus is not limiting. (Fisher and Jayachandran 2002)
 

Palm Beach nursery grower and landscaper Rob Barron outplanted J. reclinata in numerous Palm Beach privately owned properties. Seed from sites JB and Ay private site produced the majority of his original stock. The plants planted at Village of Key Biscayne are originated from CR stock (Barron pers. comm.)

Christopher Kernan conducted preliminary demographic studies on individual plants at Sites RR, SB, and CR measuring both the diameter of the basal stem and length and number of lateral stems. The study at Site CR was interrupted by a wildfire (May 1996) that burned over the J. reclinata population for several days. Monitoring soon after the fire indicated over 70% of the plants was lost; however, in subsequent monitoring in 1999, Hannah Thornton and David La Puma were able to relocate many of these plants. Kernan also found that the fire drastically altered the habitat at Crandon Park, significantly decreasing the amount of St. Augustine grass, a major competitor before the fire. (Kernan 1995)

Kernan and Garvue surveyed and mapped J.reclinata populations at sites RR, SB, and CR using GPS with sub meter accuracy.

The vegetation plots at site CR were sampled and established by Kernan to determine the preferred the the preferred micro-habitat of J.reclinata within the coastal plant community. 21 plots were established along four transects running east to west from strand edge to coastal hammock. Kernan subjectively chose plot locations in order to represent changes in vegetation along the transect.  According to the Principal Component Analysis, J. reclinata prefers partial shade.(Kernan 1995)
 

Christopher Kernan conducted experimental outplantings at CR to determine expected survival rates of outplanted propagules derived from both seeds and cuttings in different micro-habitat conditions. Outplantings in partial shade displayed greater survival than those in full sun.  Kernan's results suggests that dune topography did not affect the survival rate of outplanted cuttings.  It was also found that outplanted seedlings did not survive as long as outplanted cuttings, mostly likely due to the small size of the seedlings used in this experiment.(Kernan 1995)

Kernan also completed a second study, testing the effects of two different outplanting preparation techniques: treatment with herbicide versus removal of competing vegetation.  The application of herbicide without the removal of the resulting mat of dead vegetation reduced the survival rate of outplanted J.reclinata cuttings.  Kernan concluded that outplanted propagules would survive best in open sites free of competing vegetation. (Kernan 1995)

Dena Garvue worked to establish an ex situ collection of j.reclinata at Fairchild Tropical Botanical Gardens, and completed research techniques for efficient horticultural propagation. The resulting collection of plants included individuals raised from cuttings and seeds from six naturally occurring J. reclinata populations. Garvue successfully propagated plants from cuttings 15 – 20 cm long; these cuttings were treated with rooting hormone and misted frequently on flats of beach sand for two weeks and the seedlings were then transferred to individual pots. She also showed increased rooting success after treating cuttings with concentrated hormone solution. Garvue successfully propagated plants from seeds and her results suggest that seed germination success decreases with increased burial depth.

Outplantings may provide corridors for gene flow via pollinators, and may also increase the numbers of populations and individuals. After the initial period of establishment, outplantings may have low maintenance requirements and may be very low in cost. Although genetic problems due to inbreeding depression may be mitigated in this way, outbreeding depression may present a new problem. Care must be taken to ensure compatibility of all introduced genetic stocks with the surrounding populations. If suitable public or private lands can be found where there is a commitment to maintenance, outplanting can be a very viable management option.

Plants are apparently surviving within sites near heavily traveled foot paths, potentially due to light availability and decreased competition. However, plants near trails (mostly seedlings and juveniles) may have difficulty surviving trampling and other disturbances.  Keeping trails away from these sensitive areas may serve to protect new transplants; while rerouting current trails to areas near older plants may help to promote public awareness of the species.

Dune habitat restoration or augmentation may significantly increase the habitat area available for outplanting where a suitable habitat already exists but could be expanded or in places where there is an opportunity to restore a site.

A controlled burn can help keep habitat open and may be used to simulate a natural fire disturbance regime. Fire may be an appropriate management tool for the perpetuation of the open coastal scrub habitat required by J. reclinata (Lippincott 1990). As a management technique, controlled burning is also relatively low in cost. A controlled burn may be difficult to get approved in coastal areas because of close proximity to buildings, private homes and/or roads.  The effects of fire in J. reclinata need to be explored and tested. However, fire has been shown to stimulate flowering in congeneric species Jacquemontia curtisii (Spier and Snyder 1998).
 

There are approximately 700 plants in eight publicly owned and two privately owned sites range over 90 miles of coastline from Miami-Dade to Palm Beach County.
 

Due to long periods of fire suppression within the coastal strand, the hardwood hammock has begun encroaching on J.reclinata populations, leading to shading out of adult plants.

Inbreeding depression may be a threat, especially in the smaller populations. Given that most fragmentation of populations has occurred within the last 50 years, genetic drift is likely to be a threat in the future (Thornton 2003).

J.reclinata is threatened by weed invasion by the following native species: Caesalpinia bonduc (knickerbean), Coccoloba uvifera (seagrape), Dalbergia ecastophyllum (coinvine) and Cassytha filiformis (lovevine) are invasive in coastal strand areas and can outcompete J. reclinata (Thornton and Wright 2003).

Non native weed threats include: Casuarina equisetifolia (Australian pine), Schinus terebinthifolius (Brazilian pepper), Cupia, Colubrina asiatica (latherleaf) (USFWS 1994), Bermuda grass (Cynodon dactylon)(USFWS 1999), Stenotaphrum secundatum (St. Augustine grass)(Kernan 1995) and Dactyloctenium aegyptium (Durban crowfoot grass).

Initially the size of individual plants at the 2001 outplanting site at BB was significantly reduced by herbivory; marsh rabbits were suspected. We observed larvae of the bag worm moth foraging on the seedlings of a seed germination experiment at VKCH. Bella moth larvae were also observed foraging on the leaves of outplanted J. reclinata at NSP.
 

Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden staff, with the assistance of many volunteers and land managers, transplanted hundreds of plants of the U.S. endangered Beach Jacquemontia (Jacquemontia reclinata) into suitable habitats along the eastern coast of Florida in an effort to reduce its risk of extinction. Since 2001, they have monitored the health and persistence of 19 Beach Jacquemontia reintroductions. When big weather events happen, they can make comparisons to previous years. Following heavy rains in 2011, one site experienced knee-deep freshwater flooding. The next year swells generated by Hurricane Sandy inundated Beach Jacquemontia with saltwater. At first glance, it looked very bad for the rare plant populations. Yet after these events, bountiful numbers of seedlings emerged. We hope that in time similar good outcomes emerge from recent storm events

There are few remaining populations of this species: the Florida Natural Areas Inventory currently contains 14 occurrence records in its database. The occurrences are scattered along the eastern coast from Martin County to Dade County, Florida. Beach front is under tremendous development pressure and little habitat remains. Much of the remaining habitat that this species inhabits is overgrown due to fire suppression and is becoming overrun with exotic plant species.

Threats include: Parasitic vines, public recreation, hurricanes, beach erosion, intense fire, manicured landscaping,exotic species (Australian pine, Brazilian pepper, carrotwood, grasses) (USFWS 1996(a), 1996(b), E. Pinto, pers. comm.; Lane et al., 2001) Urba

733 individuals in all ten populations, although most are in just 2 sites (USFWS 2001).

Fairchild Tropical Garden is conducting extensive ecological studies on J. reclinata including: pollination ecology, seedling requirements, propagation, genetics, and habitat characteristics (Lippencott 1990). In the near future, studies on restoration will be conducted. Habitat Specialists, Inc. are also conducting studies on restoration. Florida State Department of Environmental Protection has also worked on reintroduction of this species.

As stated above in the threat section, in some sites invasion by non-native and native, weedy vegetation is severe.  Removal of these invasive plants can combat this issue by reducing competition, provide an open habitat and help other native species prosper, and can also help reduce shading.

A strong point of this technique is that it may be the least controversial than other methods utilized for habitat restoration.  It is important to remember that all vegetation debris should be taken off site and not left there to avoid increasing soil nutrients to a naturally sandy substrate.

 

Research and management needs to include investigating and implementing exotic species removal and study of the effects of fire on j.reclinata, ongoing exchange of information and collaboration and continued correspondence with land managers to maintain an open coastal strand habitat, increasing public awareness through educational materials, continued monitoring  of past outplantings as well as conducting new ones, and to collect seeds from all remaining populations and send them to the National Center for Genetics Research Preservation.