Establishing a Wild, Ex Situ Population of a Critically Endangered Shade-Tolerant Rainforest Conifer: A Translocation Experiment

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Author
Zimmer, HC; Offord, CA; Auld, TD; Baker, PJDate
2016-07-12Source Title
PLoS OnePublisher
PUBLIC LIBRARY SCIENCEAffiliation
School of Ecosystem and Forest SciencesMetadata
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Journal ArticleCitations
Zimmer, H. C., Offord, C. A., Auld, T. D. & Baker, P. J. (2016). Establishing a Wild, Ex Situ Population of a Critically Endangered Shade-Tolerant Rainforest Conifer: A Translocation Experiment. PLOS ONE, 11 (7), https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0157559.Access Status
Open AccessARC Grant code
ARC/FT120100715Abstract
Translocation can reduce extinction risk by increasing population size and geographic range, and is increasingly being used in the management of rare and threatened plant species. A critical determinant of successful plant establishment is light environment. Wollemia nobilis (Wollemi pine) is a critically endangered conifer, with a wild population of 83 mature trees and a highly restricted distribution of less than 10 km2. We used under-planting to establish a population of W. nobilis in a new rainforest site. Because its optimal establishment conditions were unknown, we conducted an experimental translocation, planting in a range of different light conditions from deeply shaded to high light gaps. Two years after the experimental translocation, 85% of plants had survived. There were two distinct responses: very high survival (94%) but very low growth, and lower survival (69%) and higher growth, associated with initial plant condition. Overall survival of translocated W. nobilis was strongly increased in planting sites with higher light, in contrast to previous studies demonstrating long-term survival of wild W. nobilis juveniles in deep shade. Translocation by under-planting may be useful in establishing new populations of shade-tolerant plant species, not least by utilizing the range of light conditions that occur in forest understories.
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