Do seed transfer zones for ecological restoration reflect the spatial genetic variation of the common grassland species Lathyrus pratensis ?

Fostering in situ conservation of wild relatives of forage crops

Most plant conservation strategies generally overlook the intra-specific genetic diversity of crop gene pools. Focusing on forage crops and their wild relatives, we present a novel approach to address the conservation of these species on meadows. Two-thirds of Swiss agricultural land is green land, mostly used for forage purposes, and their genetic diversity is being threatened. We focused here on eight plant associations gathering at least 18 taxa considered priority crop wild relatives of forage crops. Since 2020, about 1,217 high-quality surfaces (representing 1,566 hectares) nationwide have been integrated into an innovative auction-based policy instrument dedicated to conserving these populations. Here, we report the benefits and hurdles of implementing this bottom-up approach and try to estimate the quality of conservation of the forage plants' CWR gene pool. Although we focus on the Swiss case, our approach to in situ conservation offers opportunities to effectively guide conservation in other contexts. We also discuss possible ways to improve CWR conservation policy, particularly the need to better consider the populations and habitat levels.

Restoration of species-rich grasslands by transfer of local plant material and its impact on species diversity and genetic variation-Findings of a practical restoration project in southeastern Germany

Restoration of species-rich grasslands is a key issue of conservation. The transfer of seed-containing local plant material is a proven technique to restore species-rich grassland, since it potentially allows to establish genetically variable and locally adapted populations. In our study, we tested how the transfer of local plant material affected the species diversity and composition of restored grasslands and the genetic variation of the typical grassland plant species Knautia arvensis and Plantago lanceolata. For our study, we selected fifteen study sites in southeastern Germany. We analyzed species diversity and composition and used molecular markers to investigate genetic variation within and among populations of the study species from grasslands that served as source sites for restoration and grasslands, which were restored by transfer of green hay and threshed local plant material. The results revealed no significant differences in species diversity and composition between grasslands at source and restoration sites. Levels of genetic variation within populations of the study species Knautia arvensis and Plantago lanceolata were comparable at source and restoration sites and genetic variation among populations at source and their corresponding restoration sites were only marginal different. Our study suggests that the transfer of local plant material is a restoration approach highly suited to preserve the composition of species-rich grasslands and the natural genetic pattern of typical grassland plant species.