Conservation of Florida’s Endangered Plants

Carlos E. VazquezBiology MajorSpring 2012

Introduction• Hundreds of plant species native to

Florida are endangered or threatened– residential development– commercial development– invasive exotic plant species

• The Florida Endangered and Threatened Plant Grants Conservation Program – “to restore and maintain existing

populations of listed plants on public land and on private lands managed for conservation purposes”

– pollination– seed germination– reintroduction of populations to their natural

habitats

Residential development

Lime stone quarry (Alachua , Florida)Wisteria sinensis

Broussonetia papyrifera

ex situ Collections

• Bok Tower Gardens – Lake Wales, FL

• Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden– Miami, FL

• Development of propagation techniques

• Reintroduction of endangered plants to their natural habitat

Prunus geniculata

Liatris provincialisHypericum cumulicola

Dicerandra immaculata

Calamintha dentata

Bonamia grandifloraPolygala lewtoniiCucurbita okeechobeensis

St. Thomas University Collaboration

• Bok Tower Gardens partnership

• Conservation and Propagation of endangered species– plant tissue culture– molecular biology

• Design methodologies for fast propagation of in vitro plantlets

• Current Projects:– Ziziphus celata– Justicia cooleyi– Vicia ocalensis– Lupinus aridorium

Ziziphus celata

Vicia ocalensis

Justicia cooleyiLupinus aridorium

Ziziphus celata• Florida ziziphus• Endemic to Lake Wales Ridge in Central

Florida• 14 remaining populations

• Research at STU– decontamination process of 40% sodium

hypochlorite solution for 20 minutes– MS media in test tube

• Challenges– keeping media in good condition– difficulty inducing root growth

• Goal of experiment:– development of an in vitro system for

fast propagation and rooting of plantlets

Justicia cooleyi• Water Willow• Endemic to middle peninsular Florida • Main threats to J. cooleyi:

– residential and agricultural development– invasive plant species

• Research at STU– use of plant growth regulators that induce the

formation of shorter shoots– use of plant growth regulators that induce root

growth

• Challenges– maintain plants alive in vitro for long periods

of time

• Goal of experiment — development of a tissue culture method for

long-term storage of this species in vitro

Vicia ocalensis• Ocala vetch • There are only four known populations• Important role preventing disturbance to

streambank vegetation

• Research at STU– seeds were germinated in vitro – six to eight fast-growing seedlings were

placed horizontally on small sterile boxes containing nutrient media

• Challenges– it is not known if populations are clones or

if there is genetic diversity among them

• Experiment Results– rapid seed germination and fast shoots

and roots growth providing a large number of plantlets

Lupinus aridorum • Scrub lupine• Only 8 populations were found in 2008• Seed germination and seedling survival rates

are very low

• Research at STU– plantlets were propagated in vitro – small sections were transferred onto fresh

nutrient media– seedlings were grown inside test tubes

containing filter-paper wicks and liquid nutrient media

• Challenges– mechanical root damage during transplant to

their natural habitat

• Experiment Results– plantlets have been successfully transferred to

natural lupine habitats with survival rates of 50%

Summary

• STU-Bok Tower Gardens Partnership – conservation– propagation– reintroduction of plants to natural habitat

• Importance of rare plant conservation

• STU contribution to our planet

Special Thanks• Dr. Pilar Maul

• Isabel Ezquerra

• Marcela Jaramillo

• Cheryl Peterson

• Rare Plant Conservation at Bok Tower Gardens

• STU Science and Mathematics Fellows Program

• Florida-Caribbean Consortium in Agriculture Education (FCCAgE) Grant

• STU Library