Saving Seeds May Save the World's Plants, But Only When It's Customized

Animals aren't the only organisms in danger of extinction; plants are also on the line. Exotic pests, shrinking ranges and a changing climate are all contributing to the disappearance of ecologically important plants. Now, scientists have taken a closer look at seed collection to save rare plants and have found that a more careful tailoring of seed collections may be crucial to preserving them for the future.

For decades, conservationists have created seed collections that have been guided by simple models that offer a one-size-fits-all approach. Yet this particular set-up may not be the most ideal for saving seeds.

In this case, the researchers used a novel approach called simulation-based planning in order to make several new sampling recommendations. This actually confirmed that a uniform approach to seed sampling may be ineffective.

So what should be done instead? Collectors must first choose their plant populations from a wide area rather than a restricted one. Sampling widely can capture nearly 200 percent more rare genes that restricted sampling, in fact. In addition, collection from about 25 maternal plants per populations versus 50 plants seems to capture the vast majority of genetic variation.

Once these seeds are saved, they can be reintroduced for planting in suitable locations, as long as conditions are favorable.

"Our approach can be used to further refine seed collection guidelines, which could lead to much more efficient and effective collections, allowing us to preserve more diversity of the world's plants," said Sean Hoban, one of the researchers, in a news release. "These collections could benefit future ecosystem restoration projects as well as improve agricultural and forestry efforts."

Currently, the researchers are working on ways to custom-tailor seed collections to particular species' dispersal, mating system and biology. By customizing these systems, the seeds could be better utilized and be more effective and preserving plant species in the future.

The findings are published in the journal Biological Conservation.