Biology Informs Strategy
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Palms and cycads are under threat!
Thus, a primary research area for Montgomery is to improve protocols for conserving rare plants. MBC determined long ago that the best use of its assets and expertise is to grow palms and cycads, in an effort to understand and conserve these living treasures.
What are we trying to do? Maintain genetically diverse collections of plants, in our garden, to reduce the risk of extinction.
But not every plant is the same! Some species or populations might need extra work. Careful consideration and study of each species’ biology helps our team figure out how to best conserve that species.
Our recommendations come from comparing data between different examples, and our understanding of the way these plants live. Stated in a very basic way: Biology informs strategy. For collections development and management, this is clear.
For a basic example, think of a tall palm with seeds held high in the air. In order to collect such seed, Larry Noblick had to get good at climbing! Be like Larry: have a strategy that fits the biology. Below, we discuss how biology informs strategy, regarding cycad conservation collections.
Every species is different:
Thus far, we have examined two species, which were selected as ‘case study’ models for our work. Keys Thatch Palm and Sinkhole Cycad have very different biologies and life histories. In each case, having multiple plants in the garden is essential – but comparing what we learned about each of these led to the other three recommendations.
Every accession is different:
The value of different accessions is clear. By examining genetic diversity, sorted by accession, and comparing that to the diversity of the original population, we found that for the Sinkhole Cycad, having multiple accessions was absolutely essential to get a good representation of the wild plants.
Michael Calonje is pictured here with Zamia decumbens seeds from separate mother plants. Be like Michael: make sure you collect more than one accession. And keep them separate.
Every population is different:
The differences between populations were also very easy to perceive. Also from the genetic data gathered from this project, we learned that the two major populations differed from each other, and the collections from each population had a strong fidelity to where they originated.
Patrick Griffith is pictured here in one of the two sinkholes in 2008, collecting seeds. Be like Patrick: make sure you visit each population.
Every year is different:
One not-so-surprising finding from this work was that many more individual plants were needed for the Sinkhole Cycad than for the Keys Thatch Palm, in order to get an adequate level of genetic diversity in the collection. Considering the biology of these plants, and what we observed in the field, that appears to be related to the life history of the Sinkhole Cycad. In 2010, when we collected seed for this study, only 7 female plants were coning. So, the collection is derived from a limited number of parents.
Chad Husby is pictured here with colleagues from Belize Botanic Gardens, camped out on their way to one of the sinkholes in 2010. Be like Chad: make sure you go back again in different years.
Biology Informs Strategy
The guidelines here are a good starting point for conserving genetic diversity in a living plant collection. The main principle here is to observe and consider the biology of the species carefully, and use those observations to plan your work – biology informs strategy.
This project was supported in part by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (MA-05-12-0336-12), creating strong libraries and museums that connect people to information and ideas. In addition to major support from IMLS, we are grateful to the following funders of our fieldwork, conservation and outreach in this area: Association of Zoological Horticulture, International Palm Society, Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund, Save Our Species, and the City of Coral Gables, in addition to funds from MBC and the participating institutions. The following persons contributed to this work: Rudy Aguilar, Michael Calonje, Javier Francisco-Ortega, Patrick Griffith, Abby Hird, Chad Husby, Andrea Kramer, Tracy Magellan, Jan Meerman, Alan Meerow, Kyoko Nakamura, Dayana Salas-Leiva, Gail Stott, and Valentino Tzub. Finally, we are grateful to the participating organizations: Belize Botanic Gardens, Botanic Gardens Conservation International US, Florida International University, Green Hills Botanical Collections, Montgomery Botanical Center, USDA-ARS-SHRS Chapman Field Station, and Ya’axche Conservation Trust.
For further reading:
Building living plant collections for conservation: a guide for public gardens. BGCI.
An abstract on this project: Underground plants help conservation on the surface – conservation genetics of Zamia decumbens. Botany 2013.
A paper about the discovery of the Sinkhole Cycad: A new species of Zamia (Zamiaceae) from the Maya Mountains of Belize. Journal of the Botanical Research Institute of Texas.
A review paper on botanic garden conservation collections: What is the Conservation Value of a Plant in a Botanic Garden? Using Indicators to Improve Management of ex situ Collections. Botanical Review.
An article for botanic garden managers: The price of conservation: measuring the mission and its cost. BGJournal.
An article for plant enthusiasts: Palm conservation in a botanic garden: a case study of the Keys Thatch Palm. Palms.
A scientific paper on Keys Thatch Palm: How well does a botanical garden collection of a rare palm capture the genetic variation in a wild population? Biological Conservation.
A news item on Zamia decumbens: Expedition leads to discovery of major population of Sinkhole Cycad. SOS – Save Our Species
An article about the Collections Genetics Project: Underground Plants Shed Light on Conservation. Montgomery Botanical News
A scientific paper on the Sinkhole Cycad: Can a botanic garden cycad collection capture the genetic diversity in a wild population? International Journal of Plant Sciences
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