Conservation introduction resulted in similar reproductive success of Camellia changii compared with augmentation

• Published in: Plant ecology Vol. 217; no. 2; pp. 219 - 228
• Main Authors: Ren, Hai, Wang, Jun, Liu, Hong, Yuan, Lianlian, Xu, Yi, Zhang, Qianmei, Yu, Hui, Luo, Jian
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Springer Netherlands 01.02.2016; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: anthocyanins; Apoidea; Applied Ecology; Bees; Biodiversity; Biomedical and Life Sciences; butterflies; Butterflies & moths; Camellia; China; Climate change; Community & Population Ecology; Conservation; Conservation biology; Ecology; Endangered & extinct species; Endangered plants; Endangered species; Endemic species; Environmental conservation; flowering; Flowers; Fruits; Life Sciences; Petals; Phenology; Plant Ecology; Plant reproduction; Plants; Pollinating insects; Pollinators; Protection and preservation; Rare species; Reproduction; reproductive traits; Seed industry; Seeds; Survival; survival rate; Terrestial Ecology; Translocation; Wildlife conservation; China; Augmentation; Conservation introduction; Reintroduction; Pollination
• ISSN: 1385-0237; 1573-5052
• DOI: 10.1007/s11258-015-0515-3

Camellia changii is an endemic and rare species in China with an extremely narrow range. It is an insect-pollinated and self-incompatible species. We conducted two types of conservation translocation experiments, augmentation and conservation introduction at two sites, Ehuangzhang and Tianxin, respectively, using 4-year-old grafted C. changii reproductive-size plants. In addition to survival and growth rate, we compared reproductive traits including flowering phenology, pigment production in flowers, pollinator visiting frequency, and reproductive success (flower, fruit and seed productions) for 2 years at augmentation and introduction sites. The survival rate of transplanted plants was 100 % after 2 years at both sites. The individuals at the augmentation site grew significantly faster than those at the introduction site (P < 0.05). Transplanted plants at the augmentation site produced 26–28 flowers per plant per year, significantly less than did those at the introduction site (35–38 flowers) during the 2-year (2013–2014) observation period (P < 0.05). The content of anthocyanin, a main pigment in the petal of flowers, at the introduction site was less than that at the augmentation site. Compositions of the pollinating species of C. changii at both sites were similar, but the dominant-pollinating species and their visiting frequency were different. Butterflies dominated the augmentation site and bees the introduction site. Nevertheless, the annual fruit and seed productions of both translocations in 2013 and 2014 were very similar. Our findings suggest that C. changii subject to the out-of-range conservation introduction did not suffer a decline in reproductive success when compared with augmentation. These findings suggest that certain rare and endangered plants may have the ability to cope with challenges that are brought on by conservation introduction in the face of climate change, at least in the short term.