Abstract
Context
Translocations of threatened plants aim to establish self-sustaining populations. For long-lived species and for species where regeneration occurs post-fire, assessments of self-sustainability must consider the seedbank and fire response, in addition to standard plant growth and reproductive output metrics, before translocation success can be evaluated. Additionally, comparison to wild reference populations should be used to benchmark performance of translocated plants, yet long-term studies of this type are rare.
Aims
To determine whether 15- and 16-year-old translocations of the threatened long-lived perennial Acacia cochlocarpa subsp. cochlocarpa that recruits after fire, have been successful.
Methods
We measured plant height, width and reproductive output of two translocated and one wild reference population of A. cochlocarpa subsp. cochlocarpa and assessed the presence, distribution and longevity of its soil seedbank. Fire was applied to a 16-year-old translocation to evaluate the impact on adult plant survival and recruitment.
Key results
Translocated populations had similar growth characteristics, produced intact seed at similar rates, and had a soil seed-bank comparable to that of the wild population. The translocated population regenerated following fire by recruiting large numbers of seedlings and there was some resprouting of adults.
Conclusions
Our findings indicated translocation success for A. cochlocarpa subsp. cochlocarpa. Our study highlighted the value of long-term data for assessing translocation success of threatened plant species in fire-prone environments.
Implications
Ongoing management of translocated threatened species in fire-prone regions should consider how fire can be applied to support population stability or expansion.