REPRODUCTIVE CONSTRAINTS AND CONSERVATION STRATEGIES FOR THE ENDANGERED Liquidambar orientalis: IMPLICATIONS FOR RESTORATION ECOLOGY
Makaleler > Tam Makale · 2025
Yazarlar: Volkan EROĞLU
JOURNAL OF ANIMAL AND PLANT SCIENCES-JAPS, SCI İndekslerine Giren Dergi, Uluslararası, Wos, 2025, cilt 35, ss 701-712
DOI: 10.36899/JAPS.2025.3.0059
Özet
<p>Liquidambar orientalis, a relict and endangered species endemic to the Mediterranean region, is of significant</p><p>conservation concern. Understanding the reproductive biology of this species is crucial for developing effective</p><p>conservation strategies. This study investigated the reproductive strategy of L. orientalis, focusing on sex ratios, flower</p><p>developmental stages, stigma receptivity, pollen viability, phenology, and ovule and seed production success. It was</p><p>determined that L. orientalis had a trimonoecious reproductive system with male, female and hermaphrodite flowers on</p><p>the same individual. It was discovered that approximately 85% of the inflorescences on the individual had only male</p><p>flowers, 15% had both male and female or male and hermaphrodite flowers, and that in pistillate inflorescences with</p><p>both sexes; 30% had female and hermaphrodite flowers at the terminal part of the inflorescence, while 70% had female</p><p>flowers at the basal part of the inflorescence. In the reproduction of the L. orientalis, the first problem identified as the</p><p>disadvantage caused by the flowers exhibiting stigma-pollen interaction for a very limited time during the 2.5-month</p><p>flowering period. Another reproductive challenge was the low success rate of ovule-to-seed conversion, with only 2.25%</p><p>success in terminal pistillate flowers and 5.8% in basal pistillate flowers, primarily due to the constraints of maternal</p><p>resource allocation. Consequently, the low reproductive success of this rare species suggested that L. orientalis would</p><p>struggle to regenerate naturally if its habitats are compromised. As a solution, we emphasized the importance of</p><p>identifying populations with the highest reproductive success in their natural habitats, establishing gene conservation</p><p>areas for seed breeding, and prioritizing restoration efforts using seeds from these genetically diverse populations, rather</p><p>than relying on monoclonal propagation techniques, to preserve the genetic pool of the species.</p>