Impacts of habitat management on translocation of the rare terrestrial herb Platanthera integrilabia

The Orchidaceae family is characterized by high rates of species rarity and extinction. Translocation efforts are becoming widely used as a means to bolster rare species numbers in situ and are most effective when species habitat requirements are well understood. Platanthera integrilabia is a rare terrestrial orchid endemic to the southeastern United States, and limited research has been done to investigate suitable habitat for this species, despite evidence indicating its ability to tolerate a range of abiotic conditions. We conducted a translocation study to determine the overall success of using tubers for translocation and to investigate how light and herbivory impact translocation emergence, survival, growth, and reproduction. Growth measures were taken monthly during the 2018 and 2019 growing seasons, and light response measures were taken at the beginning of flowering season in both years. Our findings suggest translocation of P. integrilabia tubers yields initial success, especially under dense canopy cover and with limited herbivore access, but low overall rates of flowering and survival could prevent long term establishment. This study highlights the need for a longer-term, comprehensive approach to determine P. integrilabia resource requirements.

Grantor dc:publisher

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

Author dc:creator

• Wooten, Savanna

Contributors dc:contributor

• Boyd, Jennifer N.
• Call, Geoff P.; Klug, Hope
• College of Arts and Sciences

• Orchids
• Plant translocation
• Platanthera

Licence

• http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Language dc:language

English, eng

Repository record dc:identifier

https://scholar.utc.edu/theses/687

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:scholar.utc.edu:theses-1844