Validation of Rare Plant Species on Some U.S. Military Installations

摘要

The effective conservation of a species depends on the availability of adequategenetic diversity within the specie's gene pool. This is especially important for rare plant species which are usually limited in numbers of individuals. In addition, the ability to reproduce successfully is critical to long term survival of a species. Genetic diversity within several rare plant species found on various U. S. military installations was evaluated, as were the requirements for germination and seedling establishment of one rare species, Croton alabamensis, found at Fort Hood, Texas. The species for which genetic diversity evaluations were conducted include several species of tetramolpoium, species of Silene, and two species of Lipochaeta from Pohakuloa Training Area (PTA), Hawaii; lepidium papilliferum from Orchard Training Center, Idaho; Croton alabamensis var. texensis from Fort Hood, Texas; and Balduina atropurpurea from Fort Stewart, Georgia. Genetic evaluations were based on isozyme and Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analyses. The results of these evaluations will be used to aid in the development of recovery plans for each of these rare species.