Applying the zoo model to conservation of threatened exceptional plant species |
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Authors: | Jordan Wood Jonathan D Ballou Taylor Callicrate Jeremie B Fant M Patrick Griffith Andrea T Kramer Robert C Lacy Abby Meyer Sara Sullivan Kathy Traylor-Holzer Seana K Walsh Kayri Havens |
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Institution: | 1. Negaunee Institute for Plant Conservation Science and Action, Chicago Botanic Garden, 1000 Lake Cook Road, Glencoe, IL, 60022 U.S.A.;2. Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, 3001 Connecticut Avenue, NW Washington, D.C., 20008 U.S.A.;3. Species Conservation Toolkit Initiative, Chicago Zoological Society, 3300 Golf Road, Brookfield, IL, 60513 U.S.A.;4. Montgomery Botanical Center, 11901 Old Cutler Road, Coral Gables, FL, 33156 U.S.A.;5. Botanic Gardens Conservation International, U.S. at The Huntington Library, Art Museum & Botanical Gardens, 1151 Oxford Road, San Marino, CA, 91108 U.S.A.;6. IUCN SSC Conservation Planning Specialist Group, 12101 Johnny Cake Ridge Road, Apple Valley, MN, 55124 U.S.A.;7. Department of Science and Conservation, National Tropical Botanical Garden, 3530 Papalina Road, Kalāheo, HI, 96741 U.S.A. |
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Abstract: | Maintaining a living plant collection is the most common method of ex situ conservation for plant species that cannot be seed banked (i.e., exceptional species). Viability of living collections, and their value for future conservation efforts, can be limited without coordinated efforts to track and manage individuals across institutions. Using a pedigree-focused approach, the zoological community has established an inter-institutional infrastructure to support long-term viability of captive animal populations. We assessed the ability of this coordinated metacollection infrastructure to support the conservation of 4 plant species curated in living collections at multiple botanic gardens around the world. Limitations in current practices include the inability to compile, share, and analyze plant collections data at the individual level, as well as difficulty in tracking original provenance of ex situ material. The coordinated metacollection framework used by zoos can be adopted by the botanical community to improve conservation outcomes by minimizing the loss of genetic diversity in collections. We suggest actions to improve ex situ conservation of exceptional plant species, including developing a central database to aggregate data and track unique individuals of priority threatened species among institutions and adapting a pedigree-based population management tool that incorporates life-history aspects unique to plants. If approached collaboratively across regional, national, and global scales, these actions could transform ex situ conservation of threatened plant species. |
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Keywords: | botanic gardens ex situ conservation exceptional species metacollections pedigree management zoos conservación ex situ especie excepcional jardines botánicos manejo de linajes metacolecciones zoológicos 植物园 特殊植物 迁地保护 聚合采集 系谱管理 动物园 |
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