caa a22 4500 445857587 CHVBK 20180317145433.0 cr unu---uuuuu 170323e20110601xx s 000 0 eng 10.1007/s10592-010-0173-x doi (NATIONALLICENCE)springer-10.1007/s10592-010-0173-x Can a seed bank provide demographic and genetic rescue in a declining population of the endangered shrub Acacia pinguifolia ? [Elektronische Daten] [Kym Ottewell, Doug Bickerton, Andrew Lowe] Many threatened species suffer reduced genetic diversity as a result of small population size and isolation. However, species with a persistent seed bank may be buffered against genetic loss as seed banks are expected to accumulate the reproductive output of many seasons. For fire-dependent species in decline, prescribed ecological burning may be a means to stimulate germination and recover genetic diversity stored in the seed bank, providing a demographic and genetic rescue effect. Here we investigated the effectiveness of this strategy in a small, isolated and inbred population of the endangered shrub, Acacia pinguifolia. We surveyed genetic diversity and structure of remnant populations of A. pinguifolia and monitored regeneration before and after burning. Germination was stimulated by fire, but seedling numbers 18months post-fire were low and barely above the number of adults killed by the fire. Genetic diversity was marginally higher in the post-fire seedling cohort than the pre-fire adults (HE=0.1 vs. 0.09, respectively). Outcrossing rates of open-pollinated seed from surrounding plants suggested moderately high levels of self-fertilisation (t m=0.65) and analysis of fine-scale genetic structure implied pollen and seed dispersal over distances of several metres, suggesting that restricted gene flow and inbreeding may act to limit genetic diversity in the seed bank. We conclude that prescribed burning has not been immediately successful as a recovery strategy for this relictual population of A. pinguifolia, though future monitoring may detect additional recruits. Alternative conservation strategies, including performing inter-population crosses, may be required to restore genetic diversity and ameliorate extinction risks. Springer Science+Business Media B.V., 2010 Seed bank nationallicence Regeneration nationallicence Prescribed burn nationallicence Genetic diversity nationallicence Mating system nationallicence Restoration genetics nationallicence Ottewell Kym School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Australian Centre for Evolutionary Biology and Biodiversity, University of Adelaide, North Terrace, 5005, Adelaide, SA, Australia aut Bickerton Doug Department for Environment and Heritage, GPO Box 1047, 5001, Adelaide, SA, Australia aut Lowe Andrew School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Australian Centre for Evolutionary Biology and Biodiversity, University of Adelaide, North Terrace, 5005, Adelaide, SA, Australia aut Conservation Genetics Springer Netherlands 12/3(2011-06-01), 669-678 1566-0621 12:3<669 2011 12 10592 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10592-010-0173-x text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI 1 research-article jats NATIONALLICENCE 856 40 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10592-010-0173-x text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Ottewell Kym School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Australian Centre for Evolutionary Biology and Biodiversity, University of Adelaide, North Terrace, 5005, Adelaide, SA, Australia aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Bickerton Doug Department for Environment and Heritage, GPO Box 1047, 5001, Adelaide, SA, Australia aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Lowe Andrew School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Australian Centre for Evolutionary Biology and Biodiversity, University of Adelaide, North Terrace, 5005, Adelaide, SA, Australia aut NATIONALLICENCE 773 0- Conservation Genetics Springer Netherlands 12/3(2011-06-01), 669-678 1566-0621 12:3<669 2011 12 10592 Metadata rights reserved Springer special CC-BY-NC licence nationallicence BK010053 XK010053 XK010000 NATIONALLICENCE NATIONALLICENCE NL-springer