Abstract Detail

Recent Topics Posters

Chau, Marian M. [1], Kroessig, Timothy [1], Weisenberger, Lauren [2], Keir, Matthew [2].

Seed storage behavior of Hawaii’s native flora.

The Harold L. Lyon Arboretum Seed Conservation Laboratory and the O’ahu Army Natural Resources Program conduct research to determine germination, propagation, and long-term storage protocols for some of Hawaii’s rarest native plant species. The seed banks aim to create viable ex situ collections to preserve genetic representation of each species and to provide propagules for recovery efforts. Over the last two decades, the seed banks have gathered data from 68 angiosperm families and from species representing 25% of the Hawaiian flora. Seed storage behavior has been classified into two categories; desiccation-tolerant (which includes species that are storable long-term, but also those that are short-lived or sensitive to freezing) and desiccation-sensitive (not storable by conventional seed banking). Data are available for 349 species, and storage classifications have been estimated for another 283 species. Approximately 94% of the 634 species studied have desiccation-tolerant seeds, representing 54 families. This proportion is higher than the worldwide estimate that 80% of species have desiccation-tolerant seeds. These data support the hypothesis that long-distance dispersal selects against species with desiccation-sensitive seeds. However, another 27% of Hawaiian species were either short-lived or freeze-sensitive; therefore a third of species investigated cannot be conventionally banked for long-term storage. Current and future research efforts focus on developing protocols for species in these categories, and expanding our knowledge of other native species’ seed storage behavior.

1 - University of Hawaii at Manoa, Lyon Arboretum - Seed Conservation Laboratory, 3860 Manoa Road, Honolulu, HI, 96822, USA
2 - Oahu Army Natural Resources Program, Building 1595, Schofield Barracks, HI, 96857, USA

Keywords:
Seeds
Hawaii
rare species
seed storage
ex situ conservation.

Presentation Type: Recent Topics Poster
Session: P
Location: /
Date: Monday, July 28th, 2014
Time: 5:30 PM
Number: PRT013
Abstract ID:1250
Candidate for Awards:None