Open Collections

Bush, Natasha

University of British Columbia

Translocation is increasingly used as a measure to support the continued existence of rare and endangered plant species. However, historically translocations have a low rate of success, due in part to the lack of knowledge of species-specific habitat requirements. My research focused on the role of microsite features in determining the presence and translocation success of a globally vulnerable perennial plant variety, Oxytropis campestris var. davisii (Fabaceae). This variety is known only from British Columbia (BC) and Alberta (AB), Canada, with BC supporting most of the populations. My research tested the suitability of various microsite habitat types through experimental trials to acquire insight to inform a larger-scale translocation for this threatened plant variety. Firstly, I assessed the association of naturally occurring O. campestris var. davisii with microsite characteristics across three sites. Secondly, I used experimental approaches to investigate the role of microsites in determining translocation success at two life stages: the seedling stage (including germination) and the juvenile stage. Based on previous observations, I hypothesized that the presence of the microsites cobbles and litter (combined) and the microsite cobbles (alone) would serve as predictors for both presence of O. campestris var. davisii at occupied sites and survival of O. campestris var. davisii at recipient sites. Using a combination of generalized mixed linear and logistic models, I found that cobbles and litter (in combination) and cobbles (alone) were strong positive predictors of the presence of Oxytropis campestris var. davisii. I found that post-translocation survival varied by life stage and by microsite type, with higher survival in juvenile plants compared to seedlings. Cobbles and litter (independent of each other) positively predicted juvenile plant survival. There was no evidence to suggest an association between microsite type and seedling survival, perhaps due to low seedling emergence and survival. My study will help guide the development of protocols for translocating this variety and can also serve as a model for other species, for example, by showing how preliminary studies at different life stages can help managers learn the conditions that will favour survival at different life stages, and therefore increase the probability of translocation success.

Text

2022-10-18

Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

http://hdl.handle.net/2429/82881

Botany

University of British Columbia

UBCV

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/