Disappearing plants: why they hide and how they return

Prolonged dormancy is a life-history stage in which mature plants fail to resprout for one or more growing seasons and instead remain alive belowground. Prolonged dormancy is relatively common, but the proximate causes and consequences of this intriguing strategy have remained elusive. In this study we tested whether stored resources are associated with remaining belowground, and investigated the resource costs of remaining belowground during the growing season. We measured stored resources at the beginning and end of the growing season in Astragalus scaphoides, an herbaceous perennial in southwest Montana, USA. At the beginning of the growing season, dormant plants had lower concentrations of stored mobile carbon (nonstructural carbohydrates, NSC) than did emergent plants. Surprisingly, during the growing season, dormant plants gained as much NSC as photosynthetically active plants, an increase most likely due to remobilization of structural carbon. Thus, low levels of stored NSC were associated with remaining belowground, and remobilization of structural carbon may allow for dormant plants to emerge in later seasons. The dynamics of NSC in relation to dormancy highlights the ability of plants to change their own resource status somewhat independently of resource assimilation, as well as the importance of considering stored resources in understanding plant responses to the environment.     

Incorporating dormancy in dynamic microbial community models

Biogeochemical activity in natural and engineered systems depends on the abundances, functional capabilities and physiological states of the indigenous microorganisms. Typically, only a fraction of the microbial population is active at any given time. As environmental conditions change, previously active microorganisms may switch to an inactive or dormant state, while dormant ones may become active. Here, we present an extended modeling concept for the growth and decay of microorganisms that explicitly accounts for their ability to switch between active and dormant states. The equations describing the switching between physiological states are implemented into a biogeochemical reaction simulator. The model was used to reproduce published data from two laboratory experiments in which microorganisms were subjected to intermittent substrate supply or reactivated after a prolonged period of starvation. Parameter values obtained from the simulation of these experiments were used for subsequent sensitivity analyses and for the simulation of hypothetical scenarios. Results for hypothetical microbial communities consisting of two competing species exposed to periodic feeding imply that, under certain conditions, an effective dormancy-reactivation strategy may have a competitive advantage over a fast growth strategy. That is, organisms that can switch rapidly in response to fluctuations in external conditions may outcompete fast-growing organisms. Furthermore, certain combinations of growth and dormancy strategies may lead to the long-term coexistence of the two competing species. Overall, the simulated population dynamics show that dormancy is an important feature of microbial communities, which can lead to complex responses to environmental fluctuations.     

Annual life cycle of Chattonella spp., causative flagellates of noxious red tides in the Inland Sea of Japan

Effects of storage temperature on the dormancy and maturation of dormant cells of Chattonella spp. were investigated by the extinction dilution method using sediment samples collected in 1984 after the blooming in Harima-Nada. Seasonality of germinability in fresh sediments was also studied in 1985. A storage period of more than 4 months with a low temperature (11°C) was essential for the maturation to induce the germination capacity of dormant cells. The optimal temperature for germination (22°C) had no effects on the maturation. Using fresh Suo-Nada sediments, a marked seasonality of germinability was confirmed. It was weak from autumn to early winter, then strengthened gradually up to a high level, which was maintained between spring and early summer, and again decreased rapidly during summer. The annual life cycle of Chattonella spp., including vetetative and dormant phases, was summarized as follows: (1) vegetative cells in early summer originate from germination of dormant cells in sediments; (2) they form overwintering dormant cells during the summer season; (3) dormant cells spend a period of spontaneous dormancy until next spring; (4) the duration of post dormancy, an enforced one due to low temperatures, follows until early summer. The life cycle of Chattonella spp. is therefore well adapted to the temperature regime in temperate seas such as the Seto Inland Sea of Japan.     

梯级河滩湿地模型对受污染河水氮磷和CODCr的净化效果

在贾鲁河畔构建3组并联的梯级河滩湿地模型,引种9种不同类型的湿地植物进行筛选试验,将湿地模型串联运行比较研究3种不同植物配置的梯级湿地对受污染河水的净化效果,在此基础上设定12h和24h等两组不同水力滞留时间,研究延长滞留时间对水质净化效果的影响。试验结果表明：对氮磷和有机物的去除效果挺水植物明显好于沉水植物,其中茭草（Zizania caduciflora）、荆三棱（Scirpus fluviatilis）和狭叶香蒲（Typha angustifolia）去除效果最好;沉水植物和挺水植物对氨氮的去除表现好于浮叶植物;延长水力滞留时间对改善水质净化效果明显,滞留时间由12h延长到24h后,TN、TP、氨氮和CODCr去除率分别提高10.2%、21.7%、30.2%和12.9%,对氨氮的净化效果改善最为明显;挺水植物＋沉水植物＋浮叶植物组合较单纯挺水植物组合在对氨氮和TN去除效果方面表现出较明显的优势,主要是由于不同类型湿地植物所营造的好氧、厌氧环境提高了对氨氮和TN去除效果。研究结果证明在湿地植被组建中,根据进水水质,应灵活选择植物种类,进行合理的植物配置,可提高湿地的净化效果。     

Extinction, recolonization, and dispersal through time in a planktonic crustacean

Dormant propagule banks are important reservoirs of biological and genetic diversity of local communities and populations and provide buffering mechanisms against extinction. Although dormant stages of various plant and animal species are known to remain viable for decades and even centuries, little is known about the effective influence of recolonization from such old sources on the genetic continuity of intermittent populations under natural conditions. Using recent and old dormant eggs recovered from a dated lake sediment core in Kenya, we traced the genetic composition of a local population of the planktonic crustacean Daphnia barbata through a sequence of extinction and recolonization events. This was combined with a phylogeographic and population-genetic survey of regional populations. Four successive populations, fully separated in time, inhabited Lake Naivasha from ca. 1330 to 1570 AD, from ca. 1610 to 1720 AD, from ca. 1840 to 1940 AD, and from 1995 to the present (2001 AD). Our results strongly indicate genetic continuity between the 1840-1940 and 1995-2001 populations, which are separated in time by at least 50 years, and close genetic relatedness of them both to the 1330-1580 population. A software tool (Colonize) was developed to find the most likely source population of the refounded 1995-2001 population and to test the number of colonists involved in the recolonization event. The results confirmed that the 1995-2001 population most probably developed out of a limited number of surviving local dormant eggs from the previous population, rather than out of individuals from regional (central and southern Kenya) or more distant (Ethiopia, Zimbabwe) populations that may have immigrated to Lake Naivasha through passive dispersal. These results emphasize the importance of prolonged dormancy for the natural long-term dynamics of crustacean zooplankton in fluctuating environments and suggest an important role of old local dormant egg banks in aquatic habitat restoration.     

Demographic performance predicts invasiveness of species in the Commelinaceae under high-nutrient conditions.

Demographic models are powerful tools for making predictions about the relative importance of transitions from one life stage (e.g., seeds) to another (e.g., nonreproductives); however, they have never been used to compare the relative performance of invasive and noninvasive taxa. I use demographic models parameterized from common garden experiments to develop hypotheses about the role of different life stage transitions in determining differences in performance in invasive and noninvasive congeners in the Commelinaceae. I also extended nested life table response experiment (LTRE) analyses to accommodate interactions between nested and unnested factors. Invasive species outperformed their noninvasive congeners, especially under high-nutrient conditions. This difference in performance did not appear to be due to differences in elasticities of vital rates, but rather to differences in the magnitude of stage transitions. Self-compatible invasive species had greater fecundity in high-nutrient environments and a shorter time to first reproduction, and all invasive species had greater vegetative reproduction than their noninvasive congeners. Thus greater opportunism in sexual and asexual reproduction explained the greater performance of invasive species under high-nutrient conditions. Similar common garden experiments could become a useful tool to predict potential invaders from pools of potential introductions. I show that short-term and controlled experiments considering multiple nutrient environments may accurately predict invasiveness of nonnative plant species.     

人工景观生态湖滨净化带植物的遴选

对水生植物处理生活污水的效果等展开了一些初步的研究。利用盆栽试验,比较了香蒲、美人蕉等8种水生植物的净化效果,所选的8种植物对污水均有不同程度的去除效果。挺水植物对污水的净化效果和耐污能力均优于沉水植物。利用水生植物处理生活污水,5 d的停留时间可以使污水达到较好的去除效果。挺水植物中美人蕉和水竹对污水的净化效果比香蒲和灯心草更好;沉水植物中伊乐藻的净化效果最好。植物对污水的净化效率有明显的季节差异,冬季污水净化效率低于夏秋两季,沉水植物在不同季节脱氮除磷效果有显著的差异。     

The search for indigenous dune stabilizers: Germination requirements of selected South African species

The coastline of South Africa is characterized by extensive dune fields which are threatened by development, and thus the demand of stabilization of drift sand will increase. The non-invasive alien grass speciesAmmophila arenaria is at present the dominant sand stabilizer. Due to its foreign origin and invasiveness in North America its use was criticized and indigenous sand-binding species would be preferred. The germination requirements of the nativeArctotheca populifolia, Ipomoea pes-caprae. Myrica cordifolia andScaevola plumieri were investigated. The results showed that for all four species the total germination time and germination phase could be shortened and germination success (number of germinated seeds) improved. The different scarification and stratification treatments broke the dormancy ofI. pes-caprae, M. cordifolia andS. plumieri, whereas the seeds ofA. populifolia were not dormant. Seeds ofI. pes-caprae andM. cordifolia had induced an innate dormancy, respectively, whereas the type of dormancy in seeds ofS. plumieri dormancy processes remained unknown.     

Transgenerational plasticity in the sea: context-dependent maternal effects across the life history

Maternal effects can have dramatic influences on the phenotype of offspring. Maternal effects can act as a conduit by which the maternal environment negatively affects offspring fitness, but they can also buffer offspring from environmental change by altering the phenotype of offspring according to local environmental conditions and as such, are a form of transgenerational plasticity. The benefits of maternal effects can be highly context dependent, increasing performance in one life-history stage but reducing it in another. While maternal effects are increasingly well understood in terrestrial systems, studies in the marine environment are typically restricted to a single, early life-history stage. Here, I examine the role of maternal effects across the life history of the bryozoan Bugula neritina. I exposed maternal colonies to a common pollution stress (copper) in the laboratory and then placed them in the field for one week to brood offspring. I then examined the resistance of offspring to copper from toxicant-exposed and toxicant-na?ve mothers and found that offspring from toxicant-exposed mothers were larger, more dispersive, and more resistant to copper stress than offspring from na?ve mothers. However, maternal exposure history had pervasive, negative effects on the post-metamorphic performance (particularly survival) of offspring: offspring from toxicant-exposed mothers had poorer performance after six weeks in the field, especially when facing high levels of intraspecific competition. Maternal experience can have complex effects on offspring phenotype, enhancing performance in one life-history stage while decreasing performance in another. The context-dependent costs and benefits associated with maternally derived pollution resistance may account for why such resistance is induced rather than continually expressed: mothers must balance the benefits of producing pollution-resistant larvae with the costs of producing poorer performing adults (in the absence of pollution).     

Partitioning vegetation response to anthropogenic stress to develop multi-taxa wetland indicators.

Emergent plants can be suitable indicators of anthropogenic stress in coastal wetlands if their responses to natural environmental variation can be parsed from their responses to human activities in and around wetlands. We used hierarchical partitioning to evaluate the independent influence of geomorphology, geography, and anthropogenic stress on common wetland plants of the U.S. Great Lakes coast and developed multi-taxa models indicating wetland condition. A seven-taxon model predicted condition relative to watershed-derived anthropogenic stress, and a four-taxon model predicted condition relative to within-wetland anthropogenic stressors that modified hydrology. The Great Lake on which the wetlands occurred explained an average of about half the variation in species cover, and subdividing the data by lake allowed us to remove that source of variation. We developed lake-specific multi-taxa models for all of the Great Lakes except Lake Ontario, which had no plant species with significant independent effects of anthropogenic stress. Plant responses were both positive (increasing cover with stress) and negative (decreasing cover with stress), and plant taxa incorporated into the lake-specific models differed by Great Lake. The resulting models require information on only a few taxa, rather than all plant species within a wetland, making them easier to implement than existing indicators.     

Effects of different pretreatments on germination of Prunus serotina seed sources

Establishing intensive plantations of fast growing hardwood tree species that have high market values in the forest industry can narrow the gap between Turkey's demand and the supply of quality hardwood products. Black cherry (P. serotina Ehrh.) is a fast growing hardwood species with a high market value. Introducing and intensively growing black cherry (BC) in Turkey may significantly reduce the country's quality wood shortage. Adequate seed germination constitutes the first essential step for successful establishments. In this paper effects of different pretreatments, including artificial and natural stratification, on the seeds of different BC seed sources (SSs) were studied. Pretreatments had substantial effects on the dormancy breaking and germination behaviours of the SSs. Consecutive periods of complex warm and cold artificial stratification regimes longer than 90 days or natural stratification (where seeds were assumed to be naturally exposed to this complexity) resulted in best dormancy breaking and, in turn, germination among all pretreatments. Deeper dormancy and reduced germination rates of some BC seeds as the altitude of the source increases might suggest an ecological adaptive strategy of the species. BC may have deeper morphophysiological dormancy than is commonly believed. Seed size may have a positive effect on seed germination.     

Convexity in projection matrices: Projection to a calibration problem

Convexity, as a fundamental property of sets and functions defined on convex sets, plays an important role in many mathematical and applied disciplines, including extremal and optimal-control problems. We prove the set of all feasible projection matrices in a general class of matrix models for stage-structured population dynamics to be convex and the dominant eigenvalue (λ₁) of any projection 2 × 2 matrix to be either a convex, or a concave function on a simplex of the matrix first-row entries (i.e., stage-specific reproduction rates). The latter is also conjectured for the general n × n case. Though looking far from practical needs of matrix population models, this mathematical result has appeared to be quite useful in solving a practical problem to calibrate the projection matrix, i.e., to estimate all the stage-specific vital rates, from empirical data. The data from monitoring of individual life histories of marked plants on permanent sample plots during successive years enable direct calculation of the stage-specific survival and ontogenetic transition rates, but the rates of reproduction do remain uncertain as far as the parent plants can hardly be determined for the (not yet marked!) recruitment.     

Demography of central and marginal populations of monkeyflowers (Mimulus cardinalis and M. lewisii)

Every species occupies a limited geographic area, but how spatiotemporal environmental variation affects individual and population fitness to create range limits is not well understood. Because range boundaries arise where, on average, populations are more likely to go extinct than to persist, range limits are an inherently population-level problem for which a demographic framework is useful. In this study, I compare demographic parameters and population dynamics between central and marginal populations of monkeyflowers, Mimulus cardinalis and M. lewisii, along an elevation gradient spanning both species' ranges. Central and marginal populations of both species differed in survival and fecundity. For M. lewisii, these components of fitness were higher in central than in marginal populations, but for M. cardinalis the converse was true. To assess spatiotemporal variation in population dynamics, I used transition matrix models to estimate asymptotic population growth rates (lambda) and found that population growth rates of M. lewisii were highest at the range center and reduced at the range margin. Population growth rates of M. cardinalis were highest at the range margin and greatly reduced at the range center. Life table response analysis decomposed spatiotemporal variation in lambda into contributions from each transition between life stages, finding that transitions from large nonreproductive and reproductive plants to the seed class and stasis in the reproductive class made the largest contributions to spatial differences in lambda. These transitions had only low to moderate sensitivities, indicating that differences in projected population growth rates resulted mainly from observed differences in transition matrix parameters and their underlying vital rates.     

From metamorphosis to maturity in complex life cycles: equal performance of different juvenile life history pathways

Performance in one stage of a complex life cycle may affect performance in the subsequent stage. Animals that start a new stage at a smaller size than conspecifics may either always remain smaller or they may be able to "catch up" through plasticity, usually elevated growth rates. We study how size at and date of metamorphosis affected subsequent performance in the terrestrial juvenile stage and lifetime fitness of spadefoot toads (Pelobates fuscus). We analyzed capture-recapture data of > 3000 individuals sampled during nine years with mark-recapture models to estimate first-year juvenile survival probabilities and age-specific first-time breeding probabilities of toads, followed by model selection to assess whether these probabilities were correlated with size at and date of metamorphosis. Males attained maturity after two years, whereas females reached maturity 2-4 years after metamorphosis. Age at maturity was weakly correlated with metamorphic traits. In both sexes, first-year juvenile survival depended positively on date of metamorphosis and, in males, also negatively on size at metamorphosis. In males, toads that metamorphosed early at a small size had the highest probability to reach maturity. However, because very few toadlets metamorphosed early, the vast majority of male metamorphs had a very similar probability to reach maturity. A matrix projection model constructed for females showed that different juvenile life history pathways resulted in similar lifetime fitness. We found that the effects of date of and size at metamorphosis on different juvenile traits cancelled each other out such that toads that were small or large at metamorphosis had equal performance. Because the costs and benefits of juvenile life history pathways may also depend on population fluctuations, ample phenotypic variation in life history traits may be maintained.     

A spatiotemporal individual-based fish model to investigate emergent properties at the organismal and the population level

A spatiotemporal individual-based model (IBM) of roach (Rutilus rutilus) including bioenergetic principles was used to study emergent properties at the individual and the population level which appeared as a result of resource allocation and time scheduling of activities related to maintenance, growth, and reproduction in a seasonally changing environment. The model was used as a virtual laboratory to consider the impact of various parameters on vital rates and spatial behaviour of roach, which is particularly difficult to study in the field. The parameterisation based on field studies performed at Lake Belau (Schleswig-Holstein, Germany) and laboratory measurements. This allowed us to explore the relationship between population structure and environmental heterogeneity on an integrated base. At the individual level emergent properties such as spatial behaviour, growth, and food consumption could be identified. Emergent properties at the population level resulted as phenotypic consequences of a trophic bottleneck, the influence of lake morphology on the phenotype as well as size-dependent winter mortality rates and post-reproductive mortality rates.     

Postdispersal seed predation limits the abundance of a long-lived perennial forb (Lithospermum ruderale)

Loss of seeds to consumers is common in plant communities, but the degree to which these losses influence plant abundance or population growth is often unclear. This is particularly the case for postdispersal seed predation by rodents, as most studies of rodent seed predation have focused on the sources of spatiotemporal variation in seed loss but not quantified the population consequences of this loss. In previous work we showed that seed predation by deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) substantially reduced seedling recruitment and establishment of Lithospermum ruderale (Boraginaceae), a long-lived perennial forb. To shed light on how rodent seed predation and the near-term effects on plant recruitment might influence longer-term patterns of L. ruderale population growth, we combined experimental results with demographic data in stage-based population models. Model outputs revealed that rodent seed predation had a significant impact on L. ruderale population growth rate (lambda). With the removal of postdispersal seed predation, the projected population growth rates increased between 0.06 and 0.12, depending on site (mean deltalambda across sites = 0.08). Seed predation shifted the projected stable stage distribution of populations from one with a high proportion of young plants to one in which larger adult size classes dominate. Elasticities of vital rates also changed, with germination and growth of seedlings and young plants becoming more important with the removal of seed predation. Simulations varying the magnitude of seed predation pressure while holding other vital rates constant showed that seed predation could lower lambda even if only 40% of available seeds were consumed. These results demonstrate that rodent granivory can be a potent force limiting the abundance of a long-lived perennial forb.     

Local consumers induce resistance differentially between Spartina populations in the field

Intraspecific variation in the strength of inducible plant defenses plays a central role in the interactions between plants and herbivores. Studies of this variation are typically conducted in the greenhouse or laboratory rather than the field. We simultaneously manipulated densities of local consumers in the field within Maine and South Carolina populations of the smooth cordgrass Spartina alterniflora. South Carolina, but not Maine, plants induced resistance when grazed by local consumers. South Carolina populations of Littoraria snails and planthoppers colonized control more than previously grazed South Carolina plants, and Littoraria snails consumed more control than previously grazed plants. The inducible feeding deterrents in South Carolina plants appear to be water soluble, but not phenolic based. In contrast, grazed and control plants from Maine populations did not differ in attractiveness or palatability to Maine consumers. Thus, inducible plant responses by South Carolina plants had a strong effect on the South Carolina consumer community, but no analogous effect occurred in Maine. Field experiments are a powerful approach to detecting the strength of inducible plant resistance and its impacts on local consumers, which in this case were shown to vary with location.     

The combined effects of seed perishability and seed size on hoarding decisions by Pére David’s rock squirrels

The food perishability hypothesis reasons that the perishability of nondormant acorns through rapid germination is the primary determinant of hoarding decisions (e.g., embryo removal in nondormant acorns in particular) by scatter-hoarding squirrels. However, we do not know whether seed size and its interactions with seed germination schedule affect squirrel’s hoarding decisions. By presenting pairs of acorns with contrasting germination/dormancy conditions and seed size, we investigated the relative importance of each target trait in determining the hoarding decisions of free-ranging Pére David’s rock squirrel (Sciurotamias davidianus) in Central China. Consistent with the food perishability hypothesis, the squirrels were highly sensitive to subtle differences of acorn germination status either within nondormant acorns or between nondormant and dormant acorns. Though there were no significant differences in seed hoarding and dispersal distance, the embryo-removal probability of nondormant acorns (especially those germinated) was much higher than that of dormant acorns prior to hoarding. Our results also support the seed size hypothesis. Large acorns were often hoarded more and moved farther than small acorns, and large nondormant acorns also had a higher probability of having their embryos removed. Moreover, the interactions between seed size and seed germination schedule had a large effect on whether a given acorn was hoarded or hoarded with its embryo removed. Our study indicates that the combined effects from seed germination schedule and seed size have the potential to determine hoarding decisions of scatter-hoarding squirrels.     

入侵藤本薇甘菊的耐盐能力

薇甘菊Mikania micrantha Kunth为原产中南美洲的入侵藤本植物,现已在全球热带和亚热带地区照成严重的生态问题。野外观察发现薇甘菊已在珠三角沿海植被中滋生。为揭示薇甘菊的耐盐能力及其对滨海盐生植被的潜在危害性,分别对薇甘菊种子、根系和茎干在不同盐度胁迫下的响应进行了测定。在珠三角地区采集了薇甘菊3个批次的种子,并选取珠江三角洲6种常见植物（菊科假臭草Eupatorium catarium、藿香蓟Ageratum conyzoides、野茼蒿Crassocephalum crepidioides、鬼针草Bidens pilosa、翅果菊Pterocypsela indica和旋花科小花假番薯Ipomoea triloba）作为对照,测定了它们在不同NaCl盐度（质量分数）胁迫下的萌发率和幼苗生长;为揭示薇甘菊种子是否可由海水传播,将薇甘菊和对照植物假臭草、藿香蓟和鬼针草在不同盐度条件下浸泡不同时间后解除胁迫再观测其种子萌发率;为确定薇甘菊能否在滨海盐土中无性繁殖,分别对薇甘菊的根系和茎干在盐水浸泡下的植株生长进行了测定。研究结果表明：1）总体而言,薇甘菊3个种群在≤0.6%盐度胁迫下的种子萌发率均与对照组无显著差异,个别种群的这一阈值可高达1.5%,明显高于其他对照植物;同一盐度胁迫条件下,薇甘菊幼苗根系和苗高生长受抑制程度明显低于对照植物。2）即使经高达3.0%盐度胁迫浸泡长达12 d后,薇甘菊、藿香蓟和假臭草种子的萌发率也没有受到显著影响,而鬼针草种子的萌发率有明显下降;四种植物受浸泡后萌芽的幼苗生长均正常。3）薇甘菊根系受0.5%盐度胁迫时没有植株死亡,但苗高增长仅为对照组的53.3%;根系在1.0%盐度胁迫下有95%的植株能存活至少25 d,但苗高增长仅为对照的18.9%;根系在≥1.5%盐度胁迫下薇甘菊无法存活。4）被清水浸泡的薇甘菊茎茎叶均能存活且在全部被浸泡的节上萌芽。当薇甘菊茎干受≥1.0%盐水浸泡时,受浸泡的叶片全部死亡,在1.0%、2.0%和3.0%盐度胁迫下受试茎第21天的死亡率分别为42.9%、40.9%和86.4%。以上结果表明薇甘菊对盐生生境具一定的适应能力,可能通过种子萌发或无性繁殖扩张的方式对滨海盐生植被构成威胁,应当引起重视。     

Actual and Potential Use of Population Viability Analyses in Recovery of Plant Species Listed under the U.S. Endangered Species Act

Use of population viability analyses (PVAs) in endangered species recovery planning has been met with both support and criticism. Previous reviews promote use of PVA for setting scientifically based, measurable, and objective recovery criteria and recommend improvements to increase the framework's utility. However, others have questioned the value of PVA models for setting recovery criteria and assert that PVAs are more appropriate for understanding relative trade‐offs between alternative management actions. We reviewed 258 final recovery plans for 642 plants listed under the U.S. Endangered Species Act to determine the number of plans that used or recommended PVA in recovery planning. We also reviewed 223 publications that describe plant PVAs to assess how these models were designed and whether those designs reflected previous recommendations for improvement of PVAs. Twenty‐four percent of listed species had recovery plans that used or recommended PVA. In publications, the typical model was a matrix population model parameterized with ≤5 years of demographic data that did not consider stochasticity, genetics, density dependence, seed banks, vegetative reproduction, dormancy, threats, or management strategies. Population growth rates for different populations of the same species or for the same population at different points in time were often statistically different or varied by >10%. Therefore, PVAs parameterized with underlying vital rates that vary to this degree may not accurately predict recovery objectives across a species’ entire distribution or over longer time scales. We assert that PVA, although an important tool as part of an adaptive‐management program, can help to determine quantitative recovery criteria only if more long‐term data sets that capture spatiotemporal variability in vital rates become available. Lacking this, there is a strong need for viable and comprehensive methods for determining quantitative, science‐based recovery criteria for endangered species with minimal data availability. Uso Actual y Potencial del Análisis de Viabilidad Poblacional para la Recuperación de Especies de Plantas Enlistadas en el Acta de Especies En Peligro de E.U.A