Abstract
Narrow endemic plants are highly vulnerable to extinction due to natural factors and human disturbance because of their restricted distribution and few populations. To conserve narrow endemic and threatened plants, is important to know the factors that drive population dynamics. We investigated the factors affecting the population demography of the narrow endemic and threatened Dianthus morisianus, a psammophilous plant with only one small population in Sardinia. Demographic data was analysed by integral projection models (IPMs), and the analysis of population growth rates, elasticities and life table response experiment (LTRE) was performed. Vital rates models show that ramet volume correlates with growth, survival, flowering probability and fruit output. Our results indicate that Dianthus morisianus can be considered a typical long-lived plant with a population dynamic dominated by large ramets. The population growth rate values were always strongly positive; this indicates that the population could increase in the long term and suggests that this plant could be able to recolonise the dune system. However, this scenario seems to contrast with the high risk of extinction reported for this plant; actually the persistence of the unique population of D. morisianus is negatively affected by several factors related to the ecological conditions of coastal dunes and other external factors such as animal grazing and trampling. Conservation actions for this threatened and narrow endemic plant should be focused to strictly protect and to enhance the number of large ramets; this strategy is the key element to increase the population size and to ensure the population persistence.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bacchetta G, Brullo S, Casti M, Giusso del Galdo GP (2010) Taxonomic revision of the Dianthus sylvestris group (Caryophyllaceae) in central-southern Italy, Sicily and Sardinia. Nord J Bot 28:137–173. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1756-1051.2009.00459.x
Bacchetta G, Fenu G, Mattana E (2012) A checklist of the exclusive vascular flora of Sardinia with priority rankings for conservation. An Jard Bot Madr 69:81–89. https://doi.org/10.3989/ajbm.2289
Balmford A, Cowling RM (2006) Fusion or failure? The future of conservation biology. Conserv Biol 20:692–695. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1523-1739.2006.00434.x
Belaid AH, Maurice S, Fréville H, Carbonell D, Imbert E (2018) Predicting population viability of the narrow endemic Mediterranean plant Centaurea corymbosa under climate change. Biol Conserv 223:19–33. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2018.04.019
Bellard C, Leclerc C, Courchamp F (2014) Impact of sea level rise on the 10 insular biodiversity hotspots. Global Ecol Biogeogr 23:203–212. https://doi.org/10.1111/geb.12093
Blondel J (2008) Humans and wildlife in Mediterranean islands. J Biogeogr 35:509–518. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2699.2007.01819.x
Brook BW, Sodhi NS, Bradshaw CJ (2008) Synergies among extinction drivers under global change. Trends Ecol Evol 23:453–460. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2008.03.011
Bruna EM, Izzo TJ, Inouye BD, Vasconcelos HL (2014) Effect of mutualist partner identity on plant demography. Ecology 95:3237–3243. https://doi.org/10.1890/14-0481.1
Cañadas EM, Fenu G, Peñas J, Lorite J, Mattana E, Bacchetta G (2014) Hotspots within hotspots: endemic plant richness, environmental drivers, and implications for conservation. Biol Conserv 170:282–291. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2013.12.007
Cardinale BJ, Duffy JE, González A, Hooper DU, Perrings C, Venail P, Narwani A, Mace GM, Tilman D, Wardle DA, Kinzig AP, Daily GC, Loreau M, Grace JB, Larigauderie A, Srivastava DS, Naeem S (2012) Biodiversity loss and its impact on humanity. Nature 486:59–67. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature11148
Caswell H (2000) Prospective and retrospective perturbation analyses: their roles in conservation biology. Ecology 81:619–627. https://doi.org/10.1890/0012-9658(2000)081%5b0619:PARPAT%5d2.0.CO;2
Caswell H (2001) Matrix population models: construction, analysis, and interpretation, 2nd edn. Sinauer, Sunderland, MA
Caujapé-Castells J, Tye A, Crawford DJ, Santos-Guerra A, Sakai A, Beaver K, Lobin W, Vincent Florens FB, Moura M, Jardim R, Gómes I, Kueffer C (2010) Conservation of oceanic island floras: present and future global challenges. Perspect Plant Ecol Evol Syst 12:107–130. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ppees.2009.10.001
Cogoni D, Mattana E, Fenu G, Bacchetta G (2012) From seed to seedling: a critical transitional stage for the Mediterranean psammophilous species Dianthus morisianus (Caryophyllaceae). Plant Biosyst 146:910–917. https://doi.org/10.1080/11263504.2011.647106
Cogoni D, Fenu G, Concas E, Bacchetta G (2013a) The effectiveness of plant conservation measures: the Dianthus morisianus reintroduction. Oryx 47:203–206. https://doi.org/10.1017/S003060531200169X
Cogoni D, Fenu G, Bacchetta G (2013b) Timing of emergence and microhabitat conditions effects on the seedling performance of a coastal Mediterranean plant. Ecoscience 20:131–136. https://doi.org/10.2980/20-2-3583
Crone EE, Menges ES, Ellis MM, Bell T, Bierzychudek P, Ehrlén J, Kaye TN, Knight TM, Lesica P, Morris WF, Oostermeijer G, Quintana-Ascencio PF, Stanley A, Ticktin T, Valverde T, Williams JL (2011) How do plant ecologists use matrix population models? Ecol Lett 14:1–8. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1461-0248.2010.01540.x
Cursach J, Rita J (2014) Naufraga balearica, a threatened narrow endemism of the Balearic Islands (Western Mediterranean Basin): assessing the population dynamics of two subpopulations. Plant Spec Biol 29:192–201. https://doi.org/10.1111/1442-1984.12009
Cursach J, Besnard A, Rita J, Fréville H (2013) Demographic variation and conservation of the narrow endemic plant Ranunculus weyleri. Acta Oecol 53:102–109. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actao.2013.09.010
Dauer JT, Jongejans E (2013) Elucidating the population dynamics of Japanese knotweed using integral projection models. PLoS ONE 8:e75181. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0075181
de Kroon H, Van Groenendael J, Ehrlén J (2000) Elasticities: a review of methods and model limitations. Ecology 81:607–618. https://www.jstor.org/stable/177363
Doak DF, Himes Boor GK, Bakker VJ, Morris WF, Louthan A, Morrison SA, Stanley A, Crowder LB (2015) Recommendations for improving recovery criteria under the US Endangered Species Act. Bioscience 65:189–199. https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biu215
Easterling MR, Ellner SP, Dixon PM (2000) Size-specific sensitivity: applying a new structured population model. Ecology 81:694–708. https://doi.org/10.1890/0012-9658(2000)081%5b0694:SSSAAN%5d2.0.CO;2
Ellner SP, Rees M (2006) Integral projection models for species with complex demography. Am Nat 167:410–428. https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/499438
Fenu G, Cogoni D, Ulian T, Bacchetta G (2013) The impact of human trampling on a threatened coastal Mediterranean plant: the case of Anchusa littorea Moris (Boraginaceae). Flora 208:104–110. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.flora.2013.02.003
Fenu G, Cogoni D, Pinna MS, Bacchetta G (2015) Threatened Sardinian vascular flora: a synthesis of 10 years of monitoring activities. Plant Biosyst 149:473–482. https://doi.org/10.1080/11263504.2014.1000424
Fenu G, Cogoni D, Bacchetta G (2016) The role of fencing in the success of threatened plant species translocation. Plant Ecol 217:207–217. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-015-0517-1
Fenu G, Cogoni D, Navarro FB, Concas E, Bacchetta G (2017a) The importance of the Cisto-Lavanduletalia coastal habitat on population persistence of the narrow endemic Dianthus morisianus (Caryophyllaceae). Plant Spec Biol 322:156–168. https://doi.org/10.1111/1442-1984.12138
Fenu G, Bacchetta G, Giacanelli V, Gargano D, Montagnani C, Orsenigo S, Cogoni D, Rossi G, Conti F, Santangelo A, Pinna MS, Bartolucci F, Domina G, Oriolo G, Blasi C, Genovesi P, Abeli T, Ercole S (2017b) Conserving plant diversity in Europe: outcomes, criticisms and perspectives of the Habitats Directive application in Italy. Biodivers Conserv 26:309–328. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-016-1244-1
Fois M, Bacchetta G, Cuena Lombraña A, Cogoni D, Pinna MS, Sulis E, Fenu G (2018) Using extinctions in species distribution models to evaluate and predict threats: a contribution to the plant conservation planning on the Island of Sardinia. Environ Conserv 45:11–19. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0376892917000108
Franco M, Silvertown J (2004) Comparative demography of plants based upon elasticities of vital rates. Ecology 85:531–538. http://oro.open.ac.uk/id/eprint/2299
Fréville H, Colas B, Riba M, Caswell H, Mignot A, Imbert E, Olivieri I (2004) Spatial and temporal demographic variability in the endemic plant species Centaurea corymbosa (Asteraceae). Ecology 85:694–703. https://doi.org/10.1890/03-0119
García MB (2003) Demographic viability of a relict population of the critically endangered plant Borderea chouardii. Conserv Biol 17:1672–1680. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1523-1739.2003.00030.x
García D, Zamora R (2003) Persistence, multiple demographic strategies and conservation in long-lived Mediterranean plants. J Veg Sci 14:921–926. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1654-1103.2003.tb02227.x
Garcı́a MB, Guzmán D, Goñi D (2002) An evaluation of the status of five threatened plant species in the Pyrenees. Biol Conserv 103:151–161. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0006-3207(01)00113-6
García MB, Picò FX, Ehrlén J (2008) Life span correlates with population dynamics in perennial herbaceous plants. Am J Bot 95:258–262. https://www.jstor.org/stable/27733413
Gray A (2018) The ecology of plant extinction: rates, traits and island comparisons. Oryx. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0030605318000315
Harter DEV, Irl SDH, Seo B, Steinbauer MJ, Gillespie R, Triantis KA, Fernández-Palacios JM, Beierkuhnlein C (2015) Impacts of global climate change on the floras of oceanic islands-Projections, implications and current knowledge. Perspect Plant Ecol Evol Syst 17:160–183. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ppees.2015.01.003
Huang J, Huang J, Liu C, Zhang J, Lu X, Ma K (2016) Diversity hotspots and conservation gaps for the Chinese endemic seed flora. Biol Conserv 198:104–112. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2016.04.007
Jacquemyn H, Brys R, Hermy M, Willems JH (2007) Long-term dynamics and population viability in one of the last populations of the endangered Spiranthes spiralis (Orchidaceae) in the Netherlands. Biol Conserv 134:14–21. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2006.07.016
Jongejans E, de Kroon H (2005) Space versus time variation in the population dynamics of three co-occurring perennial herbs. J Ecol 93:681–692. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2745.2005.01003.x
Kew (2017) The State of the World’s Plants. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Kier G, Kreft H, Lee TM, Jetz W, Ibisch PL, Nowicki C, Mutke J, Barthlott W (2009) A global assessment of endemism and species richness across island and mainland regions. Proc National Acad Sci 106:9322–9327. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0810306106
Kueffer C, Daehler CC, Torres-Santana CW, Lavergne C, Meyer J-Y, Otto R, Silva L (2010) A global comparison of plant invasions on oceanic islands. Perspect Plant Ecol Evol Syst 12:145–161. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ppees.2009.06.002
Lavergne S, Thuiller W, Molina J, Debussche M (2005) Environmental and human factors influencing rare plant local occurrence, extinction and persistence: a 115-year study in the Mediterranean region. J Biogeogr 32:799–811. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2699.2005.01207.x
Li SL, Yu FH, Werger MJA, Dong M, Zuidema PA (2011) Habitat-specific demography across dune fixation stages in a semi-arid sandland: understanding the expansion, stabilization and decline of a dominant shrub. J Ecol 99:610–620. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2745.2010.01777.x
Li SL, Yu FH, Werger MJ, Dong M, During HJ, Zuidema PA (2015) Mobile dune fixation by a fast-growing clonal plant: a full life-cycle analysis. Sci Rep-UK 5:8935. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep08935
Liu J, Mooney H, Hull V, Davis SJ, Gaskell J, Hertel T, Lubchenco J, Seto KC, Gleick P, Kremen C, Li S (2015) Systems integration for global sustainability. Science 347:6925. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1258832
Médail F (2017) The specific vulnerability of plant biodiversity and vegetation on Mediterranean islands in the face of global change. Region Environ Change 17:1775–1790. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10113-017-1123-7
Menges ES (1991) The application of minimum viable population theory to plants. In: Falk DA, Holsinger KE (eds) Genetics and conservation of rare plants. Oxford University Press, Oxford, pp 47–61
Menges E (2000) Population viability analysis in plants: challenges and opportunities. Trends Ecol Evol 15:51–56. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0169-5347(99)01763-2
Menges ES, Pace-Aldana B, Haller SJ, Smith SA (2016) Ecology and conservation of the endangered legume Crotalaria avonensis in Florida scrub. Southeast Nat 15:549–574. https://doi.org/10.1656/058.015.0318
Merow C, Dahlgren JP, Metcalf CJE, Childs DZ, Evans MEK, Jongejans E, Record S, Rees M, Salguero-Gómez R, McMahon SM (2014) Advancing population ecology with integral projection models: a practical guide. Methods Ecol Evol 5:99–110. https://doi.org/10.1111/2041-210X.12146
Metcalf CJE, McMahon SM, Salguero-Gómez R, Jongejans E (2013) IPMpack: an R package for integral projection models. Methods Ecol Evol 4:195–200. https://doi.org/10.1111/2041-210x.12001
Metcalf CJE, McMahon SM, Salguero-Gómez R, Jongejans E, Merow C (2014) IPMpack: an R package for demographic modeling with Integral Projection Models (v. 2.1). Accessed on 8 March 2018
Morris WF, Doak DF (2002) Quantitative conservation biology: theory and practice of population viability analysis. Sinauer Associates Inc., Sunderland
Nebot A, Cogoni D, Fenu G, Bacchetta G (2016) Floral biology and breeding system of the narrow endemic Dianthus morisianus Vals. (Caryophyllaceae). Flora 219:1–7. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.flora.2015.12.004
Nebot A, Cogoni D, Fenu G, Bacchetta G (2018) Comparing the flowering phenology between the only natural and a translocated population of Dianthus morisianus. Botany Lett 165(3–4):506–513. https://doi.org/10.1080/23818107.2018.1505546
Nicolè F, Dahlgren JP, Vival A, Till-Bottraud I, Ehrlén J (2011) Interdependent effects of habitat quality and climate on population growth of an endangered plant. J Ecol 99:1211–1218. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2745.2011.01852.x
Nychka D, Furrer R, Sain S (2014) fields: Tools for spatial data. R package version 7.1. http://CRAN.R-project.org/package=fields. Accessed on 8 March 2018
Oostermeijer JGB, Luijten SH, den Nijs JCM (2003) Integrating demographic and genetic approaches in plant conservation. Biol Conserv 113:389–398. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0006-3207(03)00127-7
Orsenigo S, Montagnani C, Fenu G, Gargano D, Peruzzi L, Abeli T, Alessandrini A, Bacchetta G, Bartolucci F, Bovio M, Brullo C, Brullo S, Carta A, Castello M, Cogoni D, Conti F, Domina G, Foggi B, Gennai M, Gigante D, Iberite M, Lasen C, Magrini S, Perrino EV, Prosser F, Santangelo A, Selvaggi A, Stinca A, Vagge I, Villani MC, Wagensommer RP, Wilhalm T, Tartaglini N, Duprè E, Blasi C, Rossi G (2018) Red Listing plants under full national responsibility: extinction risk and threats in the vascular flora endemic to Italy. Biol Conserv 224:213–222. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2018.05.030
Pfeifer M, Wiegand K, Heinrich W, Jetschke G (2006) Long-term demographic fluctuations in an orchid species driven by weather: implications for conservation planning. J Appl Ecol 43:313–324. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2664.2006.01148.x
Pinna MS, Cañadas EM, Bacchetta G (2014) Initial constraints in seedling dynamics of Juniperus macrocarpa Sm. Plant Ecol 215:853–861. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-014-0337-8
Pino J, Picó FX, de Roa E (2007) Population dynamics of the rare plant Kosteletzkya pentacarpos (Malvaceae): a nine-year study. Bot J Linn Soc 153:455–462. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1095-8339.2007.00628.x
Pisanu S, Farris E, Filigheddu R, García MB (2012) Demographic effects of large, introduced herbivores on a long-lived endemic plant. Plant Ecol 213:1543–1553. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-012-0110-9
Ramula S, Rees M, Buckley YM (2009) Integral projection models perform better for small demographic data sets than matrix population models: a case study of two perennial herbs. J Appl Ecol 46:1048–1053. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2664.2009.01706.x
R Core Team (2014) R: a language and environment for statistical computing. R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna, Austria. http://www.R-project.org/ Accessed on 8 February 2018
Ricketts TH, Dinerstein E, Boucher T, Brooks TM, Butchart SHM, Hoffmann M, Lamoreux JF, Morrison J, Parr M, Pilgrim JD, Rodrigues ASL, Sechrest W, Wallace GE, Berlin K, Bielby J, Burgess ND, Church DR, Cox N, Knox D, Loucks C, Luck GW, Master LL, Moore R, Naidoo R, Ridgely R, Schatz GE, Shire G, Strand H, Wettengel W, Wikramanayake E (2005) Pinpointing and preventing imminent extinctions. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 102:18497–18501. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0509060102
Salguero-Gómez R, Jones OR, Archer CR, Buckley YM, Che-Castaldo J, Caswell H, Hodgson D, Scheuerlein A, Conde DA, Brinks E, de Buhr H, Farack C, Gottschalk F, Hartmann A, Henning A, Hoppe G, Romer G, Runge J, Ruoff T, Wille J, Zeh S, Davison R, Vieregg D, Baudisch A, Altwegg R, Colchero F, Dong M, de Kroon H, Lebreton JD, Metcalf CJE, Neel MM, Parker IM, Takada T, Valverde T, Velez-Espino LA, Wardle GM, Franco M, Vaupel JW (2015) The COMPADRE Plant Matrix Database: an open online repository for plant demography. J Ecol 103:202–218. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2745.12334
Salguero-Gómez R, Jones OR, Jongejans E, Blomberg SP, Hodgson DJ, Mbeau-Ache C, Zuidema PA, de Kroon H, Buckley YM (2016) Fast–slow continuum and reproductive strategies structure plant life-history variation worldwide. Proc Natl Acad Sci 113:230–235. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1506215112
Schemske DW, Husband BC, Ruckelshaus MH, Goodwillie C, Parker IM, Bishop JG (1994) Evaluating approaches to the conservation of rare and endangered plants. Ecology 75:584–606. https://www.jstor.org/stable/1941718
Smith SA, Menges ES (2016) Population dynamics and life history of Euphorbia rosescens, a perennial herb endemic to Florida scrub. PLoS ONE 11:e0160014. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0160014
Sulis E, Bacchetta G, Cogoni D, Fenu G (2018) Short-term population dynamics of Helianthemum caput-felis, a perennial Mediterranean coastal plant: a key element for an effective conservation program. Syst Biodivers 16(8):774–783. https://doi.org/10.1080/14772000.2018.1492469
van Kleunen M, Dawson W, Essl F, Pergl J, Winter M, Weber E, Kreft H, Weigelt P, Kartesz J, Nishino M, Antonova LA, Barcelona JF, Cabezas FJ, Cárdenas D, Cárdenas-Toro J, Castaño N, Chacón E, Chatelain C, Ebel AL, Figueiredo E, Fuentes N, Groom QJ, Henderson L, Inderjit Kupriyanov A, Masciadri S, Meerman J, Morozova O, Moser D, Nickrent DL, Patzelt A, Pelser PB, Baptiste MP, Poopath M, Schulze M, Seebens H, Shu W, Thomas J, Velayos M, Wieringa JJ, Pyšek P (2015) Global exchange and accumulation of non-native plants. Nature 525:100–103. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature14910
Weigelt P, Jetz W, Kreft H (2013) Bioclimatic and physical characterization of the world’s islands. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 110:15307–15312. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1306309110
Whittaker RJ, Fernandez-Palacios JM (2007) Island biogeography: ecology, evolution, and conservation, 2nd edn. Oxford University Press, Oxford
Whittaker RJ, Fernández-Palacios JM, Matthews TJ, Borregaard MK, Triantis KA (2017) Island Biogeography: taking the long view of nature’s laboratories. Science 357:eaam8326. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aam8326
Williams JL, Ellis MM, Bricker MC, Brodie JF, Parsons EW (2011) Distance to stable stage distribution in plant populations and implications for near-term population projections. J Ecol 99:1171–1178. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2745.2011.01845.x
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Communicated by Daniel Sanchez Mata.
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Electronic supplementary material
Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Cogoni, D., Sulis, E., Bacchetta, G. et al. The unpredictable fate of the single population of a threatened narrow endemic Mediterranean plant. Biodivers Conserv 28, 1799–1813 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-019-01757-0
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-019-01757-0