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- Title
Streptanthus bracteatus (Brassicaceae), a rare annual woodland forb, thrives in less cover: evidence of a vanished habitat?
- Authors
Fowler, Norma; Center, Alyson; Ramsey, Elizabeth
- Abstract
One of the challenges of understanding habitat requirements of endangered species is that the remaining populations may not be in optimal habitat, requiring experimentation to determine optimal habitat and to guide management. A better knowledge of its habitat requirements is important for the conservation of Streptanthus bracteatus, a rare annual of central Texas woodlands. The habitat requirements of a rare, declining species like S. bracteatus can also provide insights into anthropogenic habitat degradation and into previous disturbance regimes. We conducted a garden experiment and a transplant experiment to determine the effect of different light environments on the growth and reproduction of S. bracteatus. Higher levels of light improved S. bracteatus performance, especially fecundity. The optimum level of combined canopy and understory cover at the height of a S. bracteatus plant (≤0.5 m above ground) was less than 50 %. The remaining populations of S. bracteatus are in sub-optimal habitat because it is not open enough. The results are consistent with the hypothesis that this species was a 'fire-follower.' The results also support the hypotheses that central Texas woodlands were once more open and that fire played an ecological role in these woodlands, an example of the ecological requirements of a rare species revealing past community structure and dynamics.
- Subjects
STREPTANTHUS; PLANT habitats; ENDANGERED plants; PLANT conservation; ENVIRONMENTAL management
- Publication
Plant Ecology, 2012, Vol 213, Issue 9, p1511
- ISSN
1385-0237
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1007/s11258-012-0109-2