SeppCon 2024: Conservation & Safeguarding
SeppCon 2024: Conservation & Safeguarding
Safeguarding Trees Along an Altitudinal Gradient in Southern Costa Rica through Global Collaborations
Rodrigo De Sousa*, Rodrigo Benavides, José Rojas, Osa Conservation
How can rare tree conservation and landscape restoration efforts be effectively merged for a regional-scale connectivity project? Our project in southwest Costa Rica, called the Ridge to Reef Restoration Network, aims to improve ecological and social connectivity across a degraded agricultural landscape between virgin areas and biodiversity hotspots such as Corcovado National Park and La Amistad International Park. A restoration story will begin on a farm in the town of Chánguena, owned by the Arguedas Family, reflecting our local approach to the success of a regional-scale restoration project on privately owned lands outside of protected areas or state-owned lands. We will review our basic restoration models: headwaters, riparian areas, degraded lands, unstable croplands, secondary forest enrichment, and design based on landowner priorities and link these models to simple restoration techniques (a namely, living fences and marking of planting sites) as key tools for both short- and long-term success in both ecological and social terms. The importance of the right combination of plant species groups and how to obtain it through botanical expeditions and well-constructed phenological calendars to represent the high geographic biodiversity of plants in the humid Neotropics. The presentation will end with the dimension that our restoration network has reached across a wide altitudinal gradient and how our locally based forest nursery work guarantees meeting our restoration goals in the next 4 years.
Thriving on the Threshold: Royal Catchfly (Silene regia) exhibits increased growth and reproduction along a forest-edge gradient in a remnant prairie community in Georgia
Mario Bretfeld, Megan Brooks, Adamina Bilbrey*, Kennesaw State University
Video start time: 13:42
The Royal Catchfly (Silene regia) is a perennial forb known to grow in rocky, alkaline soils. Once prevalent through the midwestern and southeastern U.S. (with Georgia being the southern boundary of this range), the species has declined significantly in its range and is now classified as a critically imperiled in Georgia. Attempts at reintroduction via out planting have only shown limited success, necessitating more research on the environmental conditions in which this plant survives in its southern-most distribution. We collected data on growth, fecundity, and edaphic conditions in one of the last remaining native populations of S. regia in Georgia, situated in a right-of-way characterized by an open grassland area adjacent to a tree line, in the growing seasons of 2023 (after a prescribed fire) and 2024 (after widening of the right-of-way). Results from the 2023 growing season are indicative of an edge effect, wherein individual plants located in a 2m wide band along the tree line displayed significantly increased growth and 52% and 48% higher flowering and fruiting, respectively. Soil nutrient composition overall was not significantly different across the site’s open grassland, edge, and forested areas, suggesting microclimate as the main driver. Data from 2024, following the widening of the right-of-way, are still being collected as of writing of this abstract. Our findings suggest that in its southern-most distribution, royal catchfly requires partial shade to maximize growth and reproductive success. Given the predicted changes in climate conditions, our results will aid in optimizing future conservation efforts of this species.
Drivers of rarity in Southeastern Astragalus (Fabaceae) and impacts on conservation action
Michael Kunz* (1, 2)
(1) North Carolina Botanical Garden, (2) University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Environment, Ecology and Energy Program
Video start time: 18:50
Variability in the frequency of species in space and time is a principal theme in ecology resulting in some species being considered rare – limited in distribution or abundance at a given point in time. Currently, about one third of the world’s flora is considered rare. With disproportionate negative impacts and increased extinction risk of rare species due to rapid global change, there is an increasing need to understand the evolutionary and ecological factors driving rarity to inform conservation action and reverse the trend of biodiversity loss. The genus Astragalus (Fabaceae) is the most diverse genus of flowering plants and known for high rates of rarity and endemism. The limited number of Astragalus in the Southeastern United States, half of which are rare or endemic, offer a unique opportunity to better understand factors driving species rarity and their conservation. We used a phylogenic approach to infer relationships and biogeographical patterns of the SE Astragalus. For one rare species in the group, A. michauxii, we conducted experiments to test ecological drivers of population parameters. We found reproductive failure is not driven by pollen or resource limitation. Further we explore how the seasonality of fire effects abundance within populations and drives population dynamics. With the increased understanding of the patterns and process affecting this rare species, we discuss conservation actions to promote stable and increasing populations.
Using Remote Camera Trapping to Identify White Fringeless Orchid (Platanthera integrilabia) Pollinators
Sarah Kosieniak*, Tara Littlefield, Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves
Video start time: 28:37
In order to collect better records of interactions between White Fringeless Orchid (Platanthera integrilabia) and its pollinators, 10 Raspberry Pi camera traps were created and deployed In Situ at sites with robust WFO populations. Typical trail cameras can be expensive and are often not calibrated to effectively capture insect motion; they may rely on a PIR (Passive Infrared) sensor that uses change in heat to signal or are unable to focus on very close visual ranges. Instead, we utilized a single board computer (Raspberry Pi 3a+) and camera to observe pixel changes across video frames to detect movement, capturing video clips of floral visitors. Intended to be deployed in remote locations with poor service, the cameras are powered by a rechargeable battery pack that supports approx. 48-72hrs., and do not rely on cell or internet service. Reviewing footage should allow OKNP to better understand which species are visiting WFO at what times, and may better illuminate which species might carry a Platanthera pollinium; the sticky mass of pollen granules vital to WFO fertilization and reproduction.
Conserving Salvia pentstemonoides
Jessi White*, Sean Griffin, The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Video Start time: 38:09
Big Red Sage (Salvia pentstemonoides) is critically imperiled across its range, with fewer than 10 populations known in the Edwards Plateau ecoregion of Central Texas. The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center received Section 6 funding to protect this species in the face of continued environmental threats through monitoring existing populations, scouting for new populations on public and private land, and growing plants for augmentation and re-introduction. This talk aims to discuss the history of big red sage and highlight the Wildflower Center’s methodologies and efforts to protect this rare, beloved species.
Soil microbial communities affect plant performance and contribute to rarity in the federally endangered legume Astragalus bibullatus
Rachel Brant* (1), Rachel Becknell (2), Scott Mangan (3), Burgund Bassüner (1), Matthew A. Albrecht (1), and Christine Edwards (1)
(1) Missouri Botanical Garden, (2) Washington University, (3) Arkansas State University
Video start time: 45:35
Determining the factors underlying rarity is essential for developing successful reintroduction programs with rare plant species. However, the influence of soil microbes on plant rarity and plant performance remains underexplored. In this study, we examined whether soil microbes contribute to the rarity and performance of Astragalus bibullatus, a federally endangered herbaceous legume. We used DNA metabarcoding to assess soil microbial communities following a dual-phase plant-soil feedback experiment in which A. bibullatus was grown in (1) soils from historically present (HP) and historically absent (HA) sites, and (2) soils trained by a co-occurring congener (A. tennesseensis) and perennial grass (Schizacharium scoparium). Growth experiments found that A. bibullatus exhibited the greatest growth and nodule production in soils from HP sites and trained by A. tennesseensis. DNA metabarcoding results showed that putatively beneficial microbes and pathogenic fungi differed in composition and abundance between HP and HA soils. HP soils contained a greater abundance of assumed mutualists (Alphaproteobacteria) and lower abundance of Fusarium, a known fungal pathogen. In phase 2, the roots and nodules of A. bibullatus contained a greater abundance of Alphaproteobacteria when grown in HP soils trained by A. tennesseensis, but not in S. scoparium. We identified nine members of Rhizobia unique to HP soils, whereas Fusarium represented the only unique microbial taxon in HA soils. Our results indicate a potentially strong influence of soil microbes on the performance and rarity of A. bibullatus. Understanding the interactions between soil microbes and rare plant species is paramount for developing successful reintroduction programs.