Single-Family versus Multi-Family Introductions

Abstract

The early success of plant introduction as a function of source material and habitat quality was tested in Arnica montana to determine whether different introduction strategies could affect plant viability of the introduced population. Plants originating from related (single-family introductions) and unrelated (multi-family introductions) individuals were introduced into undisturbed sites and into sites which were limed, turf cut, or both turf cut and limed. For four consecutive years, we analysed plant performance by measuring survival time, growth, and reproductive capacity. Introduction success was found to be strongly affected by habitat quality. Turf cutting in combination with additional liming significantly increased reproductive capacity and stimulated early flowering. To restore eutrophic and acidified soil conditions, turf cutting with additional liming prior to introduction is recommended. Furthermore, a significant effect of multi-family introductions was observed. Multi-family introductions showed higher introduction success compared to single-family introductions. Although the long-term effects of multi-family introductions will emerge after several generations, the preliminary results suggest multi-family introductions as the most successful introduction strategy.

Key words

Arnica montana - conservation - introduction strategies - restoration - transplantation.

References

• 1 Akeroyd J.. Seeds of Destruction? Non-Native Wild-Flower Seeds and British Flora Diversity. London; Plantlife (1994)
• 2 Akeroyd J., Wyse Jackson P.. A Handbook for Botanic Gardens on the Reintroduction of Plants to the Wild. Surrey; Botanic Gardens Conservation International (1995)
• 3 Allendorf F. W., Leary R. F., Spruell P., Wenburg J. K.. The problem with hybrids: setting conservation guidelines.  Trends in Ecology and Evolution. (2001);  16 613-622
• 47 Bakker J. P.. Nature Management by Grazing and Cutting. Dordrecht, The Netherlands; Academic Press Publishers (1989)
• 4 Bakker J. P., Berendse F.. Constraints in the restoration of ecological diversity in grassland and heathland communities.  Trends in Ecology and Evolution. (1999);  14 63-68
• 5 Barrett S. C. H., Kohn J. R.. Genetic and evolutionary consequences of small population size in plants: implications for conservation. Falk, D. A. and Holsinger, K. H., eds. Genetics and Conservation of Rare Plants. Oxford; Oxford University Press (1991): 3-30
• 48 Britton A. J., Marrs R. H., Carey P.  D., Pakeman R. J.. Comparison of techniques to increase Calluna vulgaris cover on heathland invaded by grasses in Breckwald, South East England.  Biological Conservation. (2000);  95 227-232
• 6 Charlesworth D., Charlesworth B.. Inbreeding depression and its evolutionary consequences.  Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics. (1987);  18 237-268
• 7 De Graaf M. C. C., Verbeek P. J. M., Bobbink R., Roelofs J. G. M.. Restoration of species-rich dry heaths: the importance of appropriate soil conditions.  Acta Botanica Neerlandica. (1998);  47 89-113
• 8 Egli P., Schmid B.. The analysis of complex survival data.  Basic Applied Ecology. (2001);  2 223-231
• 9 Falconer D. S.. Introduction to Quantitative Genetics. New York; Wiley (1989)
• 10 Fenster C. B., Galloway L. F.. Inbreeding and outbreeding depression in natural populations of Chamaecrista fasciculate (Fabaceae).  Conservation Biology. (2000);  14 1406-1412
• 49 Ferguson I. K.. Arnica L. . Tutin, T. G., Heywood, V. H., Burgers, N. A., Moore, D. M., Valentine, D. H., Walters, S. M., and Webb, D. A., eds Flora Europaea. Cambridge; Cambridge University Press (1976): 189-190
• 11 Fischer M., Matthies D.. RAPD variation in relation to population size and plant fitness in the rare Gentianella germanica (Gentianaceae).  American Journal of Botany. (1998);  86 811-819
• 13 Franklin I. R.. Evolutionary change in small populations. Soule, M. and Wilcox, B., eds. Conservation Biology: An Evolutionary-Ecological Perspective. Sunderland, MA; Sinauer (1980): 135-149
• 14 Galloway L. F., Fenster C. B.. Population differentiation in an annual legume: local adaptation.  Evolution. (2000);  54 1173-1181
• 15 Hedrick P. W.. Genetics of Populations. Boston, Toronto, London, Singapore; Jones and Bartlett Publishers (2000)
• 16 IUCN .Guidelines for Reintroductions. Gland, Switzerland; IUCN/SSC Reintroduction Specialist Group (1995)
• 17 Keller L. F., Waller D. M.. Inbreeding effects in wild populations.  Trends in Ecology and Evolution. (2002);  17 230-241
• 18 Kleijman D. G., Stanley Price M. R., Beck B. B.. Criteria for reintroductions. Olney, P. J. S., Mare, G. M., and Feistner, A. T. C., eds. Creative Conservation: Interactive Management of Wild and Captive Animals. London; Chapman and Hall (1994): 287-303
• 50 Luijten S. H., Oostermeijer J. G. B., Van Leeuwen N., Den Nijs J. C. M.. Reproductive success and clonal genetic structre of the rare Arnica montana (Compositae) in the Netherlands.  Plant Systematics and Evolution. (1996);  201 15-39
• 19 Luijten S. H., Dierick A., Oostermeijer J. G. B., Raijman L. E. L., Den Nijs J. C. M.. Population size, genetic variation, and reproductive success in a rapidly declining, self-incompatible perennial (Arnica montana) in the Netherlands.  Conservation Biology. (2000);  14 1776-1787
• 20 Lynch M.. The genetic interpretation of inbreeding depression and outbreeding depression.  Evolution. (1991);  45 622-629
• 21 Manchester S. J., Bullock J. M.. The impacts of non-naïve species on UK biodiversity and the effectiveness of control.  Journal of Applied Ecology. (2000);  37 845-864
• 22 Maunder M.. Plant reintroduction: an overview.  Biodiversity and Conservation. (1992);  1 51-61
• 23 McMahan L.. Propagation and reintroduction of imperilled plants, and the role of botanical gardens and arboreta.  Endangered Species Update. (1990);  8 4-7
• 24 McCullagh P., Nelder J. A.. Generalised Linear Models. London; Chapman and Hall (1991)
• 25 Menges E. S.. Seed germination percentage increases with population size in a fragmented prairie species.  Conservation Biology. (1991);  5 158-164
• 26 Menges E. S.. Stochastic modelling of extinction in plant populations. Fiedler, P. J. and Jain, S. K., eds. Conservation Biology: The Theory and Practice of Nature Conservation, Preservation and Management. New York; Chapman Hall (1992): 253-276
• 27 Mills L. S., Allendorf F. W.. The one-migrant-per-generation rule in conservation and management.  Conservation Biology. (1996);  10 1509-1518
• 28 Montalvo A. M., Williams S. L., Rice K. J., Buchmann S. L., Cory C., Hamdel S. N., Nabhan G. P., Primack R., Robichaux R. H.. Restoration biology: a population biology perspective.  Restoration Ecology. (1997);  5 277-290
• 29 Montalvo A. M., Ellstrand N. C.. Transplantation of the subshrub Lotus scoparius. I. Test of the home site advantage hypothesis.  Conservation Biology. (2000);  14 1034-1045
• 51 Newman D., Pilson D.. Increased probability of extinction due to decreased genetic effective population size: Experimental populations of Clarkia pulchella.  Evolution. (1997);  51 354-362
• 30 Oostermeijer J. G. B., van Eijck M. W., den Nijs J. C. M.. Offspring fitness in relation to population size and genetic variation in the rare perennial plant species Gentiana pneumonanthe (Gentianceae).  Oecologia. (1994);  97 289-296
• 31 Ouborg N. J., Van Treuren R.. The significance of genetic variation in the process of extinction IV. Inbreeding load and heterosis in relation to population size in the mint Salvia pratensis. .  Evolution. (1994);  48 996-1008
• 32 Ouborg N. J., Van Treuren R.. Variation in fitness-related characters among small and large populations of Salvia pratensis. .  Journal of Ecology. (1995);  83 369-380
• 33 Raijmann L. E. L., van Leeuwen N. C., Kersten R., Oostermeijer J. G. B., den Nijs J. C. M., Menken S. B. J.. Genetic variation and outcrossing rate in relation to population size in Gentiana pneumonanthe L.  Conservation Biology. (1994);  8 1014-1025
• 52 Roelofs J. G. M., Bobbink R., Brouwer E., De Graaf M. C. C.. Restoration ecology of aquatic and terrestrial vegetation on non-calcareous sandy soils in The Netherlands.  Acta Botanica Neerlandia. (1996);  45 517-541
• 53 Snow C. S. R., Marrs R. H.. Restoration of Calluna heathland on a Bracken Pteridium-infested site in North West England.  Biological Conservation. (1997);  81 35-42
• 34 Storfer A.. Gene flow and endangered species translocations: a topic revisited.  Biological Conservation. (1999);  87 173-180
• 35 Strykstra R. J.. Reintroduction of plant species: shifting patterns. PhD thesis. University of Groningen, The Netherlands (2000)
• 36 Tecic D. L., Mc Bride J. L., Bowles M. L., Nickrent D. L.. Genetic variability in the federally threatened Mead's milkweed, Asclepias meadii Torrey (Asclepiadaceae), as determined by allozyme electrophoresis.  Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden. (1998);  85 97-109
• 37 Van den Berg L. J. L., Vergeer P., Roelofs J. G. M.. Heathland restoration in The Netherlands: effects of turf cutting depth on germination of Arnica montana.  Applied Vegetation Science. (2003);  6 117-124
• 38 Van der Meijden R., Odé B., Groen C. L. G., Witte J.-P. M., Bal D.. Bedreigde en kwetsbare vaatplanten in Nederland. Basisrapport met voorstel voor de Rode Lijst.  Gorteria. (2000);  26 85-208
• 39 Van Dam D., Van Dobben H. F., Ter Braak C. F. J., De Wit T.. Air pollution as a possible cause for the decline of some phanerogamic species in the Netherlands.  Vegetatio. (1986);  65 47-52
• 40 Vergeer P., Rengelink R., Copal C., Ouborg N. J.. The interacting effects of genetic variation, habitat quality and population size on performance of Succisa pratensis. .  Journal of Ecology. (2003);  91 18-26
• 41 Vergeer P., Sonderen E., Ouborg N. J.. Introduction strategies put to the test: local adaptation versus heterosis.  Conservation Biology. (2004);  18 812-821
• 42 Vervuren P. J. A., Blom C. W. P. M., De Kroon H.. Extreme flooding events on the Rhine and the survival and distribution of riparian plant species.  Journal of Ecology. (2003);  91 135-146
• 54 Webb N. R.. The traditional management of European heathlands.  Journal of Applied Ecology. (1998);  35 987-990
• 43 Weeda E. J., Van der Meijden R., Bakker P. A.. Red Data List of the extinct, endangered and vulnerable plants in the Netherlands in the period 1980 - 1990.  Gorteria. (1990);  16 1-26
• 44 Weeda E. J., Westra R., Westra C. H., Westra T.. Nederlandse Oecologische Flora, Wilde Planten en hun Relaties, Deel 4. Utrecht; KNNV publisher (2003)
• 45 Williams S. L.. Reduced genetic diversity in eelgrass transplantations affects both population growth and individual fitness.  Ecological Applications. (2001);  11 1472-1488
• 46 Young A., Boyle T., Brown A. D. H.. The population genetic consequences of habitat fragmentation for plants.  Trends in Ecology and Evolution. (1996);  11 413-418

Editor: J. Knops