| Abstract Detail
Conservation Biology Miller, Amanda [1], Pence, Valerie [2]. Conserving Oak Species Using Cryopreservation Techniques. Oak (Quercus) species are threatened due to numerous factors such as climate change, pests, fires, hybridization and pathogens. Of the species used in this study, Quercus suber and Quercus gambelii are listed on IUCN’s Red List as “least concern” and Quercus hinckleyi listed as “critically endangered”. IUCN’s Red List has only assessed 210 out of 500 or more species of oak. Of the assessed species, 59 (28%) are listed as Critically Endangered, Endangered, Threatened, or Vulnerable, 152 (72%) are listed as Least Concern. Oaks are exceptional species, meaning they cannot survive standard seed banking methods; therefore, other conservation techniques such as cryopreservation (long-term preservation storage in liquid nitrogen) must be analyzed. Rooting is a critical step in recovering plants from cryopreserved shoot tips and preparing plants for acclimatization. The first goal of this research was to explore the effects of the addition of silver thiosulfate (STS) and two different basal media on rooting of Q. suber, Q. hinckleyi and Q. gambelii. These two media were Woody Plant media (WP) and a modified MS media (Mod 1) plus and minus 50 uM STS. The silver ions in STS are known to block the effects of ethylene. Rooting was more successful in WP media than Mod 1. WP+STS had significantly higher total number and rooting % than other treatments in all species except Q. suber (line 2). The average root length was significantly higher in WP+STS than other treatments for Q. gambelii, all other species root length was highest in WP-STS. So, there was a difference between species. The second objective was to learn how to improve survival rate after cryopreservation of Q. suber and Q. hinkleyi to develop a suitable protocol for oaks. Thus, the effects of cold acclimating (CA) shoots for a week at 22 °C for 16-hour days and -1 °C for 8-hour nights before cryopreserving were tested. More CA tips regrew after cryopreservation, but the numbers were small and there was no significant difference between treatments. However, the data suggest further exploration. Overall, STS may be useful to improve rooting percentage in other oak species and CA although not significant in this study, could be beneficial in increasing survival after cryopreservation. This research will contribute to ex situ conservation of oak species which can be used to protect them from endangerment and extinction.
Related Links:
CREWS website
1 - University of Colorado Denver, Integrative Biology, 1201 Larimer St, Denver, CO, 80204, US
2 - Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, Conservation and Research of Endangered Wildlife (CREW), 3400 Vine St, Cincinnati, Ohio, 45220, US
Keywords:
conservation
cryopreservation
rooting
oaks
quercus.
Presentation Type: Poster
Session: P, Conservation Biology Posters
Location: Virtual/Virtual
Date: Monday, July 27th, 2020
Time: 5:00 PM Time and date to be determined
Number: PCB002
Abstract ID:87
Candidate for Awards:None |
