Assessing Seed Storage Behavior of the Texas Flora to Inform Seed Bank Design

The Botanical Research Institute of Texas (BRIT) is in the process of constructing a seed conservation laboratory and seed bank. While BRIT has been active in conservation for decades and has partnered with regional seed banks to conserve rare species, BRIT has never had a dedicated seed laboratory on site. The goal of the BRIT Seed Conservation Laboratory will be to collect and maintain ex situ collections for all rare plant taxa occurring in Texas. In order to equip the laboratory with the appropriate equipment and begin a strategic plan to collect all rare Texas taxa, we first need to understand the seed storage behavior of the taxa of concern. An assessment of the seed storage behavior of 449 vascular plant taxa listed by Texas Parks and Wildlife as Species of Greatest Conservation Need will be discussed, including how the results impacted design of the BRIT seed bank.

Kim Taylor, Botanical Research Institute of Texas / Fort Worth Botanic Garden