A Quercus tardifolia found life in Big Bend . National Park
THE MORTON ARBORETUM
LISLE, Ill. (July 7, 2022)—Botanists representing a coalition of more than 10 organizations have discovered an oak tree once thought extinct and now in need of conservation right in Big Bend National Park in Texas.
Researchers led by The Morton Arboretum and the United States Botanic Garden (USBG) were delighted to find a Quercus tardifolia (Q. tardifolia) the tree stands about 30 feet tall, although it is in poor condition. First described in the 1930s, the last living specimen is believed to have died in 2011.
Murphy Westwood, Ph.D., vice president of science and conservation at Morton’s Nursery. “If we ignore the decline of Q. tardifolia and other endangered species of rare trees, we could see a multitude of domino effects with the loss of other living entities in the ecosystems supported by those trees,” she said. According to Westwood, Q. tardifolia It is considered one of the rarest oaks in the world.
Scientists predict that by studying why this plant is nearing extinction, they may be able to protect other creatures from a similar fate. Whether or not this specimen of Q. tardifolia can be saved is still in question.
The team that made the discovery on May 25, 2022, described a dire scene. The stems are burned to scars and show signs of severe fungal infection. Drought or fire has the potential to end its life, say scientists, who also report that climate change makes this result more likely every year. The team is currently working with the National Park Service to reduce the immediate bushfire threat to the trees, and the conservationists in this partnership are moving quickly to get back to searching for acorns and trying to save time. Attempts to propagate, the procedure for propagating specimens from the mother plant.
“This is important collaborative research, essential for conservation.” Q. tardifolia,” said Carolyn Whiting, a botanist at Big Bend National Park. “The Chisos Mountains support a high diversity of oak species, partly due to the wide range of habitats on this ‘sky island’. There is still much to learn about the oaks of Chisos.”
Susan Pell, PhD, acting executive director at American Botanical Garden, is sponsoring and collaborating on the project. “This discovery is just the beginning of the conservation work that we are partnering with Morton Arboretum to better understand and conserve threatened trees.”
Other collaborators are the Bartlett Arboretum and Plant Research Laboratory; Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center; NatureServe; Polly Hill Nursery; San Antonio Botanical Garden; University of California, Davis Incubator and Public Garden; and The Sul Ross State University A. Michael Powell Herbarium.
What can molecular analysis reveal about Quercus tardifolia?
Oak trees tend to be hybrids, or hybrids, which can allow them to adapt more quickly to changing climatic conditions such as extreme heat and new diseases. This frequent hybridization can also blur genetic lines between oak species in a given ecosystem such as Big Bend. Molecular analysis will confirm whether the newly discovered plant’s DNA matches the DNA of previous samples of Q. tardifolia, but according to the researchers, it’s likely that the analysis will raise more questions than it answers.
According to Dr Andrew Hipp, senior plant systematics scientist and director of lawns at The Morton Arboretum, who will conduct the genetic analysis, “This is an interesting issue. We are trying to find out if this plant is genetically similar to other plants that have been collected before Q. tardifolia. That will tell us whether the collection is similar to what Cornelius H. Muller named. Q. tardifolia. It will also tell us whether this collection of specimens is genetically distinct enough from other closely related oaks in the area to warrant recognition as a species.”
Regardless of taxonomy, Hipp notes that it is important to preserve more than individual species, but rather all the genetic variation in life. “Species are genetically distinct populations that we can recognize in the field,” he said. “But they are not the be-all and end-all of conservation. We also aim to preserve functional variation within species. Leaf forms, physiological responses to drought and fire, and even plant longevity are all attributes that can be shared between populations and across species by gene flow. The functional variation these new collections represent may be just what is needed to help the oaks in the area adapt to environmental changes in the near or distant future. “
Conservation of oak trees is very important for the ecosystem
Oak trees are special among tree species in that their acorns cannot be seeded in the traditional way for conservation purposes. According to the researchers, they must be preserved in the wild or in living collections, which is why the involvement of botanical gardens is so important. Researchers have found Q. tardifolia the tree is concerned that it does not produce acorns. Other propagation methods, including grafting, are being pursued to preserve the future of oak trees.
“Across the planet, oak trees act as an ecological anchor that cleans the air, filters water, sequesters carbon dioxide, and supports a multitude of fungi, insects, birds and mammals,” explains Westwood. . “When a person is lost, we don’t know what else we can lose forever after it’s gone,” she said.
However, Westwood, Pell and others warn that conservation efforts like these require collaborative initiatives, such as The Global Conservation Society for OakInvolvement of botanical gardens and many scientific experts to ensure a future for endangered species.
“In many ways, this tree is an ancient relic. Wesley Knapp, chief botanist at NatureServe, who joined the expedition. “We have a duty to learn from it and protect it while we still can to inform future conservation efforts,” he said. “Nature rarely gives us a second chance, and I doubt we will ever get a third. We’re not going to waste it.”
Members of the May 2022 expedition locate lonesome for the first time Q. tardifolia plants include Adam Black of the Bartlett Arboretum and Plant Research Laboratory, Michael Eason of the San Antonio Botanical Garden, Emily Griswold of the UC Davis Arboretum and Public Gardens, Wesley Knapp of NatureServe, John Saltiel of USBG, Phillip Schulze of the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, Elizabeth Thomas of Polly Hill Arboretum, Kelsey Wogan of Sul Ross State University A. Michael Powell Herbarium and Zarah Wyly, an independent California oak tree researcher.
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