Effective species conservation requires ex situ conservation approaches. Botanic gardens and arboreta have the expertise to propagate plants of conservation concern, but they often lack the space or resources needed to capture sufficient genetic diversity. This is particularly true for large and long-lived plants like trees. A network of coordinated living collections at multiple sites […]
Read More…
Tony Gurnoe, San Diego Botanic Garden A small disjunct population of Quercus cedrosensis just north of the border faces a barrage of threats, from wildfire and drought to succumbing to bulldozer blades as part of the border wall construction. Recognizing the immediacy of the need, especially given the lack of even a single ex-situ specimen known […]
Read More…
Amy Byrne, The Morton Arboretum A 2019 study by Griffith, et al. showed that gardens must collaborate to conserve genetic diversity, especially for exceptional species whose seeds cannot be conventionally seed banked. This process of capturing the genetic diversity of exceptional species in ex situ collections requires a tailored strategy for each species, emphasizing the need […]
Read More…
Christina Carrero, The Morton Arboretum, Emily Coffey, Atlanta Botanical Garden, Patrick Griffith, Montgomery Botanical Center A 2019 study by Griffith, et al. showed that gardens must collaborate to conserve genetic diversity, especially for exceptional species whose seeds cannot be properly seed banked. This process of capturing the genetic diversity of exceptional species in ex situ […]
Read More…