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Albani Rocchetti G, Carta A, Mondoni A, Godefroid S, Davis CC, Caneva G, Albrecht MA, Alvarado K, Bijmoer R, Borosova R, Bräuchler C, Breman E, Briggs M, Buord S, Cave LH, Da Silva NG, Davey AH, Davies RM, Dickie JB, Fabillo M, Fleischmann A, Franks A, Hall G, Kantvilas G, Klak C, Liu U, Medina L, Reinhammar LG, Sebola RJ, Schönberger I, Sweeney P, Voglmayr H, White A, Wieringa JJ, Zippel E, Abeli T. Selecting the best candidates for resurrecting extinct-in-the-wild plants from herbaria. NATURE PLANTS 2022; 8:1385-1393. [PMID: 36536014 DOI: 10.1038/s41477-022-01296-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2022] [Accepted: 10/31/2022] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Resurrecting extinct species is a fascinating and challenging idea for scientists and the general public. Whereas some theoretical progress has been made for animals, the resurrection of extinct plants (de-extinction sensu lato) is a relatively recently discussed topic. In this context, the term 'de-extinction' is used sensu lato to refer to the resurrection of 'extinct in the wild' species from seeds or tissues preserved in herbaria, as we acknowledge the current impossibility of knowing a priori whether a herbarium seed is alive and can germinate. In plants, this could be achieved by germinating or in vitro tissue-culturing old diaspores such as seeds or spores available in herbarium specimens. This paper reports the first list of plant de-extinction candidates based on the actual availability of seeds in herbarium specimens of globally extinct plants. We reviewed globally extinct seed plants using online resources and additional literature on national red lists, resulting in a list of 361 extinct taxa. We then proposed a method of prioritizing candidates for seed-plant de-extinction from diaspores found in herbarium specimens and complemented this with a phylogenetic approach to identify species that may maximize evolutionarily distinct features. Finally, combining data on seed storage behaviour and longevity, as well as specimen age in the novel 'best de-extinction candidate' score (DEXSCO), we identified 556 herbarium specimens belonging to 161 extinct species with available seeds. We expect that this list of de-extinction candidates and the novel approach to rank them will boost research efforts towards the first-ever plant de-extinction.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Andrea Mondoni
- Department of Earth and Environmental Science, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Sandrine Godefroid
- Research Department, Meise Botanic Garden, Meise, Belgium
- Service général de l'Enseignement supérieur et de la Recherche scientifique, Fédération Wallonie, Brussels, Belgium
- Laboratory of Plant Ecology and Biogeochemistry, Université libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Charles C Davis
- Department of Organismic Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Giulia Caneva
- Department of Science, University of Roma Tre, Rome, Italy
| | - Matthew A Albrecht
- Center for Conservation and Sustainable Development, Missouri Botanical Garden, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Karla Alvarado
- Department of Cell Biology, Microbiology and Molecular Biology, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA
| | - Roxali Bijmoer
- Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Botany Section, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | | | | | - Elinor Breman
- Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Wakehurst; Ardingly, Haywards Heath, West Sussex, UK
| | | | - Stephane Buord
- Conservatoire botanique national de Brest, Brest, France
| | | | - Nílber Gonçalves Da Silva
- Departamento de Botânica, Museu Nacional, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | | | - Rachael M Davies
- Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Seed and Lab-Based Collections, Sussex, UK
| | - John B Dickie
- Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Seed and Lab-Based Collections, Sussex, UK
| | - Melodina Fabillo
- Queensland Herbarium, Department of Environment and Science, Brisbane Botanic Gardens Mt Coot-tha, Toowong, Queensland, Australia
| | - Andreas Fleischmann
- Botanische Staatssammlung München (SNSB-BSM), and GeoBio-Center LMU, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany
| | - Andrew Franks
- Queensland Herbarium, Department of Environment and Science, Brisbane Botanic Gardens Mt Coot-tha, Toowong, Queensland, Australia
| | - Geoffrey Hall
- Centre sur la biodiversité de l'Université de Montréal (CITES CA-035), Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | - Gintaras Kantvilas
- Tasmanian Herbarium, Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, Sandy Bay, Tasmania, Australia
| | - Cornelia Klak
- Bolus Herbarium, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, South Africa
| | - Udayangani Liu
- Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Wellcome Trust Millennium Building, West Sussex, England, UK
| | | | | | - Ramagwai J Sebola
- South African National Biodiversity Institute, Pretoria, South Africa
- School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand; WITS, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Ines Schönberger
- Allan Herbarium, Manaaki Whenua - Landcare Research, Lincoln, New Zealand
| | - Patrick Sweeney
- Peabody Museum of Natural History, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Hermann Voglmayr
- Department for Botany and Biodiversity Research, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Adam White
- CSIRO Black Mountain Laboratories, Black Mountain, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
| | - Jan J Wieringa
- Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Botany Section, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Elke Zippel
- Dahlem Seed Bank, Botanical Garden and Botanic Museum Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Thomas Abeli
- Department of Science, University of Roma Tre, Rome, Italy
- IUCN SSC Conservation Translocation Specialist Group, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
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Abeli T, Dalrymple S, Godefroid S, Mondoni A, Müller JV, Rossi G, Orsenigo S. Ex situ collections and their potential for the restoration of extinct plants. CONSERVATION BIOLOGY : THE JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR CONSERVATION BIOLOGY 2020; 34:303-313. [PMID: 31329316 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.13391] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2018] [Revised: 07/10/2019] [Accepted: 07/12/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
The alarming current and predicted species extinction rates have galvanized conservationists in their efforts to avoid future biodiversity losses, but for species extinct in the wild, few options exist. We posed the questions, can these species be restored, and, if so, what role can ex situ plant collections (i.e., botanic gardens, germplasm banks, herbaria) play in the recovery of plant genetic diversity? We reviewed the relevant literature to assess the feasibility of recovering lost plant genetic diversity with using ex situ material and the probability of survival of subsequent translocations. Thirteen attempts to recover species extinct in the wild were found, most of which used material preserved in botanic gardens (12) and seed banks (2). One case of a locally extirpated population was recovered from herbarium material. Eight (60%) of these cases were successful or partially successful translocations of the focal species or population; the other 5 failed or it was too early to determine the outcome. Limiting factors of the use of ex situ source material for the restoration of plant genetic diversity in the wild include the scarcity of source material, low viability and reduced longevity of the material, low genetic variation, lack of evolution (especially for material stored in germplasm banks and herbaria), and socioeconomic factors. However, modern collecting practices present opportunities for plant conservation, such as improved collecting protocols and improved cultivation and storage conditions. Our findings suggest that all types of ex situ collections may contribute effectively to plant species conservation if their use is informed by a thorough understanding of the aforementioned problems. We conclude that the recovery of plant species currently classified as extinct in the wild is not 100% successful, and the possibility of successful reintroduction should not be used to justify insufficient in situ conservation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Abeli
- Department of Science, University of Roma Tre, Viale Guglielmo Marconi 446, Roma, 00146, Italy
| | - Sarah Dalrymple
- School of Natural Sciences and Psychology, Liverpool John Moores University, James Parsons Building, Byrom Street, Liverpool, L3 3AF, U.K
| | - Sandrine Godefroid
- Research Department, Botanic Garden Meise, Nieuwelaan 38, Meise, 1860, Belgium
- Service général de l'Enseignement supérieur et de la Recherche scientifique, Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles, rue A. Lavallée 1, Brussels, 1080, Belgium
- Laboratory of Plant Ecology and Biogeochemistry, Université libre de Bruxelles, CP 244, Boulevard du Triomphe, Brussels, 1050, Belgium
| | - Andrea Mondoni
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Pavia, Via S. Epifanio 14, 27100, Pavia, Italy
| | - Jonas V Müller
- Millennium Seed Bank, Conservation Science, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Wakehurst Place, Ardingly, RH17 6TN, West Sussex, U.K
| | - Graziano Rossi
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Pavia, Via S. Epifanio 14, 27100, Pavia, Italy
| | - Simone Orsenigo
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Pavia, Via S. Epifanio 14, 27100, Pavia, Italy
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