Establishing the National Seed Bank of Wales: Collecting, Conserving and Restoring the Welsh Flora
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24823/Sibbaldia.2022.1889Keywords:
Wales, Conservation, SeedbanksAbstract
Seed banks are an efficient method of ex situ plant conservation, capable of conserving vast genetic diversity within a small space. In 2018, the National Botanic Garden of Wales (NBGW) started on a journey to establish a new seed bank focused on conserving the Welsh flora to expand its native plant conservation activities. Now equipped with facilities allowing professional long-term seed conservation within two lab spaces in NBGW’s Science Centre, the National Seed Bank of Wales has become a valuable resource for plant conservation and research in Wales. This article describes how the new seed bank has evolved and how it operates, which may inform other small-to-medium size botanic gardens looking to develop seed collecting and banking activities. When based at a botanic garden, seed banks are an excellent resource uniting the horticultural, scientific and educational expertise of staff. Wider benefits beyond long-term seed conservation include improving short-term storage methods of seed grown by the horticulture department for conservation and display; and training horticulture and science students. An associated trial of harvesting and marketing seed from NBGW’s wildflower-rich hay meadows for restoration purposes has also proved successful and commercially viable, helping to fund our conservation activities.
References
BALLESTEROS, D., FANEGA-SLEZIAK, N. & DAVIES, R.M. (2021). Cryopreservation of seeds and seed embryos in orthodox-, intermediate-, and recalcitrant-seeded species. In: WOLKERS, W.F. & OLDENHOF, H. (eds), Cryopreservation and Freeze-Drying Protocols, 4th edn. Humana, New York, pp. 663–682. doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-0783-1_36
BLACKSTOCK, T.H., HOWE, E.A., STEVENS, J.P., BURROWS, C.R. & JONES, P.S. (2010). Habitats of Wales: A Comprehensive Field Survey, 1979–1997. University of Wales Press, Cardiff.
BREED, M.F., STEAD, M.G., OTTEWELL, K.M., GARDNER, M.G. & LOWE, A.J. (2013). Which provenance and where? Seed sourcing strategies for revegetation in a changing environment. Conservation Genetics, 14: 1–10. doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10592-012-0425-z
BROADHURST, L.M., JONES, T.A., SMITH, F.S., NORTH, T. & GUJA, L. (2016). Maximizing seed resources for restoration in an uncertain future. BioScience, 66(1): 73–79. doi: https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biv155
BROADHURST, L.M., LOWE, A., COATES, D.J., CUNNINGHAM, S.A., MCDONALD, M., VESK, P.A. & YATES, C. (2008). Seed supply for broadscale restoration: maximizing evolutionary potential. Evolutionary Applications, 1(4): 587–597. doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1752-4571.2008.00045.x
BUCHAROVA, A., MICHALSKI, S., HERMANN, J.M., HEVELING, K., DURKA, W., HÖLZEL, N.,KOLLMANN, J. & BOSSDORF, O. (2017). Genetic differentiation and regional adaptation among seed origins used for grassland restoration: lessons from a multispecies transplant experiment. Journal of Applied Ecology, 54(1): 127–136. doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.12645
CHAPMAN, T., MILES, S. & TRIVEDI, C. (2019). Capturing, protecting and restoring plant diversity in the UK: RBG Kew and the Millennium Seed Bank. Plant Diversity, 41(2): 124–131. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pld.2018.06.001
CLUBBE, C., AINSWORTH, A.M., BÁRRIOS, S., BENSUSAN, K., BRODIE, J., CANNON, P., CHAPMAN, T., COPELAND, A.I., CORCORAN, M., SANCHEZ, M.D., DAVID, J.C., DINES, T. ET AL. (2020). Current knowledge, status, and future for plant and fungal diversity in Great Britain and the UK Overseas Territories. Plants, People, Planet, 2(5): 557–579. doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/ppp3.10142
DAVIES, R., DI SACCO, A. & NEWTON, R. (2015a). Germination testing: environmental factors and dormancy-breaking treatments. Technical Information Sheet 13b. Millennium Seed Bank Partnership. Available online: http://brahmsonline.kew.org/msbp/Training/Resources (accessed March 2022).
DAVIES, R., DI SACCO, A. & NEWTON, R. (2015b). Germination testing: procedures and evaluation. Technical Information Sheet 13a. Millennium Seed Bank Partnership. Available online: http://brahmsonline.kew.org/msbp/Training/Resources (accessed March 2022).
DE VERE, N. (2021). Creating a biophilic Wales: increasing the health and wellbeing of people, biodiversity and the environment. Sibbaldia, 20: 57–68. doi: https://doi.org/10.24823/Sibbaldia.2021.314
DE VITIS, M., ABBANDONATO, H., DIXON, K.W., LAVERACK, G., BONOMI, C. & PEDRINI,S.(2017). The European native seed industry: characterization and perspectives in grassland restoration. Sustainability, 9(10). doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/su9101682
DE VITIS, M., HAY, F.R., DICKIE, J.B., TRIVEDI, C., CHOI, J. & FIEGENER, R. (2020). Seed storage: maintaining seed viability and vigor for restoration use. Restoration Ecology, 28(S3): S249–S255. doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/rec.13174
DINES, T. (2008). A Vascular Plant Red Data List for Wales. Available online: www.plantlife.org.uk/uk/our-work/publications/vascular-plant-red-data-list-wales (accessed March 2022).
FULLER, R.M. (1987). The changing extent and conservation interest of lowland grasslands in England and Wales: a review of grassland surveys 1930–1984. Biological Conservation, 40(4): 281–300. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/0006-3207(87)90121-2
GOLD, K. (2014). Post-harvest handling of seed collections. Available online: http://brahmsonline.kew.org/msbp/Training/Resources (accessed March 2022).
GOLD, K. & MANGER, K. (2014a). Measuring seed moisture status using a hygrometer. Technical Information Sheet 05. Available online: http://brahmsonline.kew.org/msbp/Training/Resources (accessed March 2022).
GOLD, K. & MANGER, K. (2014b). Selecting containers for long-term seed storage. Technical Information Sheet 06. Available online: http://brahmsonline.kew.org/msbp/Training/Resources (accessed March 2022).
HARDWICK, K.A., FIEDLER, P., LEE, L.C., PAVLIK, B., HOBBS, R.J., ARONSON, J., BIDARTONDO, M., BLACK, E., COATES, D., DAWS, M.I., DIXON, K. ET AL. (2011). The role of botanic gardens in the science and practice of ecological restoration. Conservation Biology, 25(2): 265–275. doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1523-1739.2010.01632.x
HAYHOW, D.B., BURNS, F., EATON, M.A., AL FULAIJ, N., AUGUST, T.A., BABEY, L., BACON, L., BINGHAM, C., BOSWELL, J., BOUGHEY, K.L., BRERETON, T., BROOKMAN, E., BROOKS, D.R. ET AL. (2016). The State of Nature 2016. The State of Nature partnership. Available online: www.rspb.org.uk/globalassets/downloads/documents/conservation-projects/state-of-nature/state-of-nature-uk-report-2016.pdf (accessed March 2022).
HAYHOW, D.B., EATON, M.A., STANBURY, A.J., BURNS, F., KIRBY, W.B., BAILEY, N., BECKMANN, B., BEDFORD, J., BOERSCH-SUPAN, P.H., COOMBER, F., DENNIS, E.B., DOLMAN, S.J. ET AL. (2019). The State of Nature 2019. The State of Nature partnership. Available online: https://nbn.org.uk/stateofnature2019/reports/ (accessed March 2022).
HERITAGE FUND (2019). Saving Cumbria’s biodiversity. Back on Our Map (BOOM) Project Press Release, 29 May. Available online: www.heritagefund.org.uk/news/saving-cumbrias-biodiversity (accessed March 2022).
HONG, T.D. & ELLIS, R.H. (1996). A protocol to determine seed storage behaviour. In: ENGELS, J.M.M. & TOLL, J. (eds), IPGRI Technical Bulletin No. 1. International Plant Genetic Resources Institute, Rome. Available online: https://cropgenebank.sgrp.cgiar.org/images/file/learning_space/technicalbulletin1.pdf (accessed March 2022).
JONES, L. (2015). Understanding the ecology of Succisa pratensis Moench to inform conservation of marshy grassland for the Euphydryas aurinia. MPhil thesis, Cardiff University.
JONES, T.A. (2013). When local isn’t best. Evolutionary Applications, 6(7): 1109. doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/eva.12090
KELLY, M. (2019). Adaptation to climate change through genetic accommodation and assimilation of plastic phenotypes. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, 374(1768). doi: https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2018.0176
LI, D. & PRITCHARD, H.W. (2009). The science and economics of ex situ plant conservation. Trends in Plant Science, 14(11): 614–621. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tplants.2009.09.005
LONG, C.E. (2013). Assessing the decline of Campanula patula and evaluating genetic approaches for its conservation. MPhil thesis, Aberystwyth University.
MARIN, M., TOOROP, P., POWELL, A.A. & LAVERACK, G. (2017). Tetrazolium staining predicts germination of commercial seed lots of European native species differing in seed quality. Seed Science and Technology, 45(1): 151–166. doi: https://doi.org/10.15258/sst.2017.45.1.03
MILLENNIUM SEED BANK PARTNERSHIP (2019). Seed Conservation Standards for MSB Partnership Collections. Available online: http://brahmsonline.kew.org/msbp/Training/Resources (accessed March 2022).
MILLENNIUM SEED BANK PARTNERSHIP (2021). Millennium Seed Bank Partnership: Resources. Available online: https://brahmsonline.kew.org/msbp/Training/Resources (accessed March 2022).
MOUGHAN, J., MCGINN, K.J., JONES, L., RICH, T.C.G., WATERS, E. & DE VERE, N. (2021). Biological Flora of the British Isles: Salvia pratensis. Journal of Ecology, 109(12): 4171–4190. doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2745.13805
NIC LUGHADHA, E., BACHMAN, S.P., LEÃO, T.C.C., FOREST, F., HALLEY, J.M., MOAT, J., ACEDO, C., BACON, K.L., BREWER, R.F.A., GÂTEBLÉ, G., GONÇALVES, S.C., GOVAERTS, R. ET AL. (2020). Extinction risk and threats to plants and fungi. Plants People Planet, 2(5): 389–408. doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/ppp3.10146
O’DONNELL, K. (2019). Developing seed, herbarium and fungarium collections at the National Botanic Garden of Wales: a feasibility study. Botanic Gardens Conservation International.
RITCHIE, W. (2020). Botanic Garden Profile: The National Botanic Garden of Wales at 20. Sibbaldia, 19: 5–16. doi: https://doi.org/10.24823/Sibbaldia.2020.305
ROGERS, D.L. (2004). Genetic erosion no longer just an agricultural issue. Native Plants Journal, 5(2): 112–122. doi: https://doi.org/10.2979/NPJ.2004.5.2.112
SCHLEUNING, M., FRÜND, J., SCHWEIGER, O., WELK, E., ALBRECHT, J., ALBRECHT, M., BEIL, M., BENADI, G., BLÜTHGEN, N., BRUELHEIDE, H., BÖHNING-GAESE, K., DEHLING, D.M. ET AL. (2016). Ecological networks are more sensitive to plant than to animal extinction under climate change. Nature Communications, 7. doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms13965
SUTCLIFFE, V. & ADAMS, J. (2014a). Low-cost monitors of seed moisture status. Technical Information Sheet 07. Available online: http://brahmsonline.kew.org/msbp/Training/Resources (accessed March 2022).
SUTCLIFFE, V. & ADAMS, J. (2014b). Small-scale seed drying methods. Available online: http://brahmsonline.kew.org/msbp/Training/Resources (accessed March 2022).
TERRY, J. & SUTCLIFFE, V. (2014). Cleaning seed collections for long-term conservation. Technical Information Sheet 14. Available online: http://brahmsonline.kew.org/msbp/Training/Resources (accessed March 2022).
VAKKARI, P., RUSANEN, M., HEIKKINEN, J., HUOTARI, T. & KÄRKKÄINEN, K. (2020). Patterns of genetic variation in leading-edge populations of Quercus robur: genetic patchiness due to family clusters. Tree Genetics and Genomes, 16(5): 73. doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11295-020-01465-9
WAY, M. & GOLD, K. (2014). Assessing a population for seed collection. Technical Information Sheet_02. Available online: http://brahmsonline.kew.org/msbp/Training/Resources (accessed March 2022).
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2022 Kevin McGinn
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Please read our Open Access, Copyright and Permissions policies for more information.
