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Abstract Detail


Conservation Biology

Allen, Betsy [1], Vitt, Pati [1], Havens, Kayri [1].

Seed Banking The Tallgrass Prairie.

THE Chicago Botanic Garden (CBG) in collaboration with the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, is entrusted with collecting seed from native, tallgrass prairie species as part of the Millennium Seed Bank Project (MSBP). The MSBP is an international effort to collect seed from 10 percent of the world’s flowering plants by 2010 for long-term conservation. The CBG is collecting seed from 1,500 species native to the tallgrass prairie ecosystem, which occupies only 10% of its original 58 million ha range in the Midwest. For each species, 20,000 seeds from one population are collected along with herbarium vouchers. After cleaning, the seeds are dried to 15-20% relative humidity and stored at –20oC, thereby increasing their longevity. The project at CBG, largely meant to be accomplished through volunteer efforts, is run by two full-time staff, summer interns and contract botanists that collect seed throughout the Midwest. Half of the collected seed will be put into long-term storage at Kew Gardens, UK, while a portion will be saved at CBG and various other institutions throughout the United States. Seeds will be made available to research and stewardship communities for scientific and restoration projects. The development of seed banking facilities at CBG will contribute to its goal of providing ex situ conservation services for the Midwest and supports its mission to protect and conserve the Earth’s plants. Funding for this project was provided by a Leader Award from BP Amoco and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.


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1 - Institute for Plant Conservation, Chicago Botanic Garden, 1000 Lake Cook Road, Glencoe, Illinois, 60022, USA

Keywords:
seed banking
ex situ conservation.

Presentation Type: Poster:Posters for Topics
Session: 48-64
Location: Auditorium/Bell Memorial Union
Date: Tuesday, August 1st, 2006
Time: 12:30 PM
Abstract ID:831


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