Abstract Detail

Conservation Biology

Winkeljohn, Max [1], Pence, Valerie [2], Culley, Theresa [1].

Learning to De-Stress: Inhibiting Ethylene to Improve Oak Survival In Vitro.

As climate change continues to threaten plant species around the globe, it is critical that a wide range of conservation strategies are employed, including ex situ methods such as in vitro tissue culture. This method is useful not only for producing tissue to be used in cryopreservation but also for generating plants to be used in outplantings and reintroductions back into the field. These methods are even more valuable for exceptional species such as oaks (Quercus spp.), whose recalcitrant seeds cannot be preserved through traditional seedbanking. However, it can be difficult to successfully initiate an in vitro culture line; oaks in particular can be prone to browning and shoot death after being cultured. Mitigating this issue would therefore help to ensure that these methods have the highest chance of success, which is especially important when working with particularly rare species. This study examined the effects of silver thiosulfate (STS), a known inhibitor of the plant stress hormone ethylene, which is typically associated with responses such as necrosis and leaf abscission. To investigate whether this compound had any effect on survival, fresh growth was collected in the Spring of 2018, 2019, & 2020 from five different oak species (Q. alba, Q. bicolor, Q. palustris, Q. muehlenbergii, and Q. macrocarpa) and cultured onto a standard growing medium with and without 50 µM STS. After being cultured, shoots were incubated at 26°C under low light with a 16:8 hour light:dark cycle for a period of 1 month, at which point they were assessed for survival. Overall, there was a significant increase in shoot survival on medium containing STS. These findings represent an important step towards the successful ex situ conservation of not only oaks, but potentially also other threatened species as well.

Related Links:
CREW Homepage

1 - University Of Cincinnati, Department Of Biological Sciences, 614 Rieveschl Hall, Cincinnati, OH, 45221, United States
2 - Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, Center for Conservation & Research of Endangered Wildlife (CREW), 3400 Vine St, Cincinnati, OH, 45220, USA

Keywords:
Oaks
quercus
In Vitro
tissue culture
ex situ
Silver Thiosulfate
conservation.

Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Number: CB4003
Abstract ID:504
Candidate for Awards:None