Endemic Plant Species Conservation: Biotechnological Approaches

Abstract

Endemic plant species are usually more vulnerable to anthropogenic threats and natural changes and, therefore, hold a higher extinction risk. The preservation of these species is a major concern on a worldwide context and in situ protection alone will not guarantee their conservation. Ex situ conservation measures must be undertaken to support the conservation of these species, and seed banking is the more efficient and cost-effective method. However, when seed banking is not an option, alternative approaches should be considered. Biotechnological tools provide new and complementary options for plant conservation including short-, medium-, and long-term strategies, and their application for plant species conservation has increased considerably in the last years. This review provides information about the status of the use biotechnology-based techniques for the conservation of endemic plant species. Particular attention is given to cryopreservation, since is the only long-term ex situ conservation strategy that can complement and support the other conservation measures. The cryopreservation of plant genetic resources is, however, more focused on crop or economically important species and few studies are available for endemic plant species. The plant material used, the cryopreservation methods employed, and the assessment of cryogenic effects are reviewed. The reasons to explain the difficulties in cryopreserving these species are discussed and new strategies are proposed to facilitate and increase the interest on this matter. We expect that further studies on the conservation of endemic plant species will increase in a near future, thus contributing to maintain these valuable genetic resources.

Application of the MSAP Technique to Evaluate Epigenetic Changes in Plant Conservation

“…Human activity in recent centuries, and particularly in recent decades, has led to overexploitation and a significant degradation of habitats, with a consequent loss of natural populations and even species. More recently, pollution and climate change have contributed to biodiversity loss [ 1 , 2 ]. This genetic erosion has also affected crop genetic resources due to modern agricultural practices and the introduction of new varieties, with higher yield, which have displaced traditional landraces [ 3 ].…”

“…The most appropriate method to conserve whole ecosystems and their biodiversity is in situ conservation, i.e., in their natural habitat. However, this approach is not always possible, and in these cases ex situ conservation (the conservation of individuals outside their natural habitats) is the best option [ 2 ]. The most frequent plant ex situ conservation method is seed banking, mainly by maintaining orthodox seed samples at low temperature and water content.…”

“…Although a considerable amount of literature has been published on plant genetic stability after cryopreservation [ 2 , 100 , 101 , 102 ], the effect that this process has on epigenetic stability has been scarcely approached. MSAP is one of the techniques most widely used for DNA methylation-related studies of plant material after cryopreservation.…”

Applications of Biotechnology for Characterization of Plants and Pests as the Key Components of Plant Protection and Production Strategies: A Review

“…Endemic plant species are usually more vulnerable to anthropogenic threats and natural changes and, therefore, hold a higher extinction risk. To this effect, various conservation strategies need to be practiced such as ex-situ conservation exercised in botanic gardens (Mounce et al, 2017), in-situ conservation (Heywood, 2015;Whitlock et al, 2016), cryopreservation (Kaviani, 2011;Streczynski et al, 2019;Coelho et al, 2020) and biotechnological methods such as in-vitro preservation in TC collection including short-, medium-, and long-term strategies (Rao, 2004;Rajasekharan and Sahijram, 2015;Yohannes and Woldesemaya, 2017;Salgotra et al, 2019;Coelho et al, 2020). The DNA bank is an efficient, simple and long-term method used in conserving genetic resource for biodiversity.…”

In Vitro Decoated Seed Germination and Seedling Development for Propagation of Wild Mandrake (Mandragora autumnalis Bertol.)

“…In this scene, distribution records, population size data, and conservation measures are not available for the M. autumnalis [ 15 ], and it was reported as a critically endangered species in Jordan, a neighboring country of the West Bank of Palestine [ 16 ]. The growing knowledge of in vitro plant propagation and cryopreservation strategies, including in vitro seed culture, is becoming crucial towards defining potential policies and actions that help conserve wild species that are rare, endangered, or of special cultural, medicinal, economic, or ecological value [ 17 , 18 , 19 ]. The integration between traditional methods such as in situ conservation and seed storage, and advanced biotechnologies such as rapid in vitro plant propagation and multiplication, can provide successful solutions, especially when plant resources are limited.…”