Oryx
- Oryx / Volume 46 / Issue 03 / July 2012, pp 391-398
- Copyright © Fauna & Flora International 2012
- DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0030605311000615 (About DOI), Published online: 16 July 2012
Papers
Reintroduction of Tigridiopalma magnifica, a rare and Critically Endangered herb endemic to China
Hai Rena1 c1*, Songjun Zenga1*, Longna Lia1, Qianmei Zhanga1, Long Yanga1, Jun Wanga1, Zhengfeng Wanga1 and Qinfeng Guoa2
a1 Key Laboratory of Vegetation Restoration and Management of Degraded Ecosystems, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, China.
a2 USDA Forest Service, Eastern Forest Environmental Threat Assessment Center, Asheville, North Carolina 28804, USA
Abstract
Tigridiopalma magnifica, a perennial herb and the only species in the genus Tigridiopalma (Family Melastomataceae) is rare and endemic to China where it is categorized as Critically Endangered on the national Red List. Twelve locations with populations of T. magnifica have been identified (1 extinct, 11 extant). T. magnifica only grows in the surface soil on stone walls or rocks under the canopy of secondary forests and plantations and has no specific associated plant species. Canopy closure, soil water content and the distance to the closest stream are the main factors influencing the distribution of T. magnifica. We reintroduced T. magnifica plantlets produced by tissue culture into three locations: one within the species' original range, and 11.5 and 400 km from the species' original range. After 11 months survival rate was 40–58% but survival was higher and plantlet crowns were larger at the location within the species' original range than at the other two sites. The combination of advanced propagation techniques and ecological restoration could facilitate reintroduction and conservation of T. magnifica and other rare and threatened plants. This example of the successful reintroduction of a rare, threatened herb has implications for human-assisted migration and colonization of rare plant species under future climate change scenarios.
(Received September 24 2010)
(Revised February 11 2011)
(Accepted March 09 2011)
Keywords
Correspondence:
c1 (Corresponding author) E-mail: renhai@scib.ac.cn
Footnotes
* Contributed equally to this work
