Reproductive ecology of<i>Asclepias meadii</i>Torr. ex A.Gray (Apocynaceae), a federally threatened species

Edens-Meier, Retha; Brown, Gary; Zweck, Justin; Arduser, Mike; Edens, Jacob; Dickson, Timothy L.; Nonnenmacher, Hermann; Westhus, Eric; Bernhardt, Peter

doi:10.3159/torrey-d-15-00069

Cited by 4 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…A larger question, however, is whether fruit production would have occurred if the study site was located far from other populations of A. meadii , as is often typical of prairie restorations. This species is self‐incompatible and relies on pollinators for seed production (Edens‐Meier 2017). As with other milkweeds, successful pollination requires insect visitors to deposit pollinia (bundles of pollen) into slits in the floral structure.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As with other milkweeds, successful pollination requires insect visitors to deposit pollinia (bundles of pollen) into slits in the floral structure. Larger insects such as Bombus are particularly important pollinators; legs of smaller insects sometimes are trapped in the slots, leading to insect death (Edens‐Meier 2017). If only a few translocated A. meadii are in flower, we can imagine that isolated prairie restorations might lack the flora needed to attract sufficient bumblebees for pollination.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Overall, our work on seedling ecology is part of a larger effort to understand the population ecology, genetics, reproduction, and restoration of this rare plant (Tecic et al 1998; Alexander et al 2009; Bowles et al 2015; Edens‐Meier 2017 and many other references in these papers). Asclepias meadii is perhaps surprisingly well studied; this species may serve as a model for understanding the persistence and restoration of long‐lived herbaceous plants in today's fragmented environments.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The cause of the change in leaf width, or its relationship with reproduction, is unknown. Asclepias meadii is self-incompatible (Tecic et al 1998;Edens-Meier 2017). If fertilized, one to three fruits are produced per flowering stem in late summer or fall.…”

Section: Study Speciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Seeding as a restoration technique for a rare prairie plant: an 11‐year field experiment with Asclepias meadii

Hoffpauir

Reed

Kettle

et al. 2021

Restoration Ecology

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Prairie restorations typically differ from remnant prairies in forb composition; long‐lived, late‐successional plants are often missing. To study establishment of such species, we set up a field experiment where seeds of the threatened, long‐lived Asclepias meadii were sown individually into the field with initial fire and soil disturbance treatments. We returned each year for 11 years to record the presence/absence, size, and reproduction of each plant. Individual plants were sometimes observed 1 year, not observed a subsequent year, and then observed again. We therefore analyzed survival data with mark‐recapture models and found that the probability of a seed germinating and the resulting plant surviving for 11 years was 0.057 (5.7%). Probability of detection was approximately 0.80, suggesting that we did not observe all living plants. Vegetative dormancy, herbivory on above‐ground parts, and observer error could all be responsible. We found no relationship between plant survival and the initial burn/disturbance treatment or previous year precipitation. Plants that were observed in the last study year were individuals that had, on average, greater size in earlier years. Three plants produced flowers and two produced fruit; we believe such reproductive success has not been previously documented for seed of A. meadii sowed into a restoration site. Our restoration study dovetails with the more typical plant community restoration research. In such studies, seeds of many species are sown, but often the late successional species do not establish. We show the value of detailed multiyear monitoring to determine the fate of such plant introductions.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%