Conservation biology of Asperula daphneola (Rubiaceae) in Western Turkey

A. daphneola O.Schwarz (Rubiaceae) was originally recorded from a single location on Nif Mountain (Kemalpaşa) in western Turkey. This study was carried out from 2001 to 2004 to investigate the causes of this endemic species' restricted distribution. To that end, the environmental conditions and reproductive biology of the species were studied. As a result of field investigations, 4 additional locations were identified. These 5 localities (the peak of Nif Mountain, Alaca Mountain, Ayrıca Mountain, Bölme Hill, and another locality west of Nif Mountain) encompass an area of 2.5 km2. The total number of individuals in these localities was estimated to be 7956. The species had been declared as vulnerable (Vu) according to the 1994 IUCN categories. Our studies led us to recommend it as critically endangered (CR) B2ab(ii)+(iii), according to the 2001 IUCN categories. Our study of its pollination ecology demonstrated that A. daphneola is strictly autogamous and that the timing of pollen viability and stigma receptivity are synchronous. The seed/ovule ratio was calculated as 1:1. The seed/ovule ratio and observed low seed germination percentage could be the result of autogamy. Autogamy is contributing to the decline of this species' population.

Anahtar Kelimeler:

Key words: Asperula daphneola, conservation biology, Nif Mountain, Turkey

Conservation biology of Asperula daphneola (Rubiaceae) in Western Turkey

Keywords:

Key words: Asperula daphneola, conservation biology, Nif Mountain, Turkey,

PDF

___

Bosch M, Simon J, Molero J & Blanche C (1998). Reproductive biology, genetic variation and conservation of the rare endemic dysploid Delphinium bolosii (Ranunculaceae), Biol Conserv, 86: 57-66.
Dafni A & Maues MM (1998). A rapid and simple procedure to determine stigma receptivity, Sex Plant Reprod, 11: 177-180.
Davis PH (1982). Flora of Turkey and the East Aegean Islands, Vol. 7, Edinburgh: Edinburgh Univ. Press, UK.
Ekim T, Koyuncu M, Vural M, Duman H, Aytaç Z & Adıgüzel N (2000). Turkey Plants Red Data Book, Turkey’s Nature Protection Association, Ankara, Turkey.
Fahrig L & Merriam G (1994). Conservation of fragmented populations. Conserv Biol 8: 50-59.
Firmage DH & Dafni A (2001). Field Tests for Pollen Viability: A Comparative Approach, Proc. 8thPollination Symposium, Acta Hort. 561.
Gibbs PJ (2001). Demography versus habitat fragmentation as determinants of genetic variation in wild populations, Biol Conserv 100: 15-20.
IUCN (2001). IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria: Version 3.1. IUCN Species Survival Commission. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK.
Lamont BB, Marsula R, Enright NJ & Witkowski ETF (2001). Conservation requirements of an exploited wildflower: modelling effects of plant age, growing conditions and harvesting intensity. Biol Conserv 99: 157-168.
Matsuda H, Yahara T & Kaneko Y (2000). Extinction risk assessment of threatened species. Popul Ecol 42: 3-4.
Myers N, Mittermeier RA, Mittermeier CG, Fonseca GAB & Kent J (2000). Biodiversity hotspots for conservation priorities. Nature 403: 853-858.
Navarro L & Guitian J (2002). The role of floral biology and breeding system on the reproductive success of the narrow endemic Petrocoptis viscosa rothm. (Caryophyllaceae). Biol Conserv 103: 125-132.
Prober S & Austin MP (1990). Habitat peculiarity as a cause of rarity in Eucalyptus paliformis. Austr J Ecol 16: 189-205.
Schemske DW, Husband BC & Ruckelshaus MH (1994). Evaluating approaches to the conservation of rare and endangered plants, Ecology 75(3): 584-606.
Verdier J (1963). Kemalpasha Mountain Survey (Izmir), Journal of Quarry Technical Research Institute 61: 37-39.
Watson LE, Uno GE, McCarty NA & Kornkven AB (1994). Conservation biology of rare plant species, Eriocaulon koernickianum (Eriocaulaceae), Am J Bot 81(8): 980-986.
Wolf A (2001). Conservation of endemic plants in serpentine landscapes. Biol Conserv 100: 35-44.
Zhou SL, Hong DY & Pan KY (1999). Pollination biology of Paeonia jishanensis T.Hong & W.Z. Zhao (Paeoniaceae), with special emphasis on pollen and stigma biology, Bot J Linn Soc 130: 43- 52.