Can alpine plant species “bank” on conservation?: Using artificial aging to understand seed longevity

Abstract

Premise To conserve native plants, many institutions are turning toward ex‐situ conservation methods, such as storage in seed banks; however, not all seeds are able to survive in seed bank conditions, or may not in the long term. Experimental aging has shown that alpine species lose viability more quickly than low‐elevation species. Furthermore, the germination requirements for rare species are largely unknown, but are a necessary first step in understanding storage behavior and viability decline. Methods Five alpine species were subjected to germination and accelerated aging experiments to understand their longevity in storage. For the accelerated aging experiment, the seeds were rehydrated in a dark incubator and subsequently placed in a drying oven. Following the aging process, the seeds were placed into previously determined germination conditions. Results All species had p 50 values of <13.7 days, which is the threshold to consider a species short lived. These results suggest that we cannot haphazardly store seeds and assume that all species will survive for decades. Discussion Accelerated aging experiments are not a perfect measure of seed longevity, and true longevity needs to be empirically determined. However, this experimental method allows us to predict which species may be short lived and whether alternative ex‐situ conservation methods might be needed beyond conventional seed banking.

Harnessing the power of botanical gardens: Evaluating the costs and resources needed for exceptional plant conservation

“…This was done by funding smaller projects dealing with 1–4 species each, as well as a larger project focused on 14 species. Participants in the smaller projects were allowed to work on a project of their choosing, and thus the projects differed widely in the types of protocols studied and the methods used (Seglias, 2022 ; Zale et al, 2022 ). This situation reflects the variety of exceptional species requiring attention, the variety of challenges they pose, and the differences in laboratory approaches and expertise, although it also presents a challenge in comparing projects.…”

“…In addition, one garden working with orchid seeds noted that, although much of the cryopreservation work was dependent on full‐time skilled labor, some components, such as curation, viability testing, and data collection, could be done by trained volunteers and students, which helped to offset costs and scale up the work. On the other hand, of the four projects exceeding $5000 (the amount provided by the IMLS grant for the project) per point, one required the purchase of equipment for the project (Seglias, 2022 ) and three dealt with species that appear to be particularly difficult to initiate into culture: Alyxia stellata (J. R. Forst. & G.…”

“…This demonstrates the need for increased funding and training in the field for exceptional plant conservation specialists. Most of the participating gardens already had some infrastructure for their exceptional plant conservation projects, from seed‐testing facilities, to tissue‐culture labs, to a source of LN; however, using additional funds, one lab purchased equipment for seed work for this project, which it is continuing to use (Seglias, 2022 ). The supply costs would necessarily increase for a lab just starting in exceptional species research, as it would have to build the necessary infrastructure for these specialized techniques.…”

Building capacity in the conservation of exceptional plant species

“…Experimental studies in seed biology can also lend insight into the ability of species to survive conventional seed banking long term. Seglias ( 2022 ) investigates the germination requirements of five alpine species and their likely tenure in storage using accelerated aging techniques. Alpine species in particular are often more likely to be short lived in seed banks than their lower‐elevation counterparts (Mondoni et al, 2011 ).…”