Grant Award View - GA130

Detailed field surveys of populations will establish baselines for ongoing monitoring. Seed will be banked at RBGV and germination cues identified. Genetic testing of mature plants and seeds ensures that natural variation is represented in banked seed to facilitate future genetic manipulation of populations. New seed from each population will be collected, tested for viability and a subset characterised genetically to allow detection of selfing/outcrossing. Combined, this information will indicate any need for mitigating the negative effects of low diversity and/or inbreeding depression through mixing genetic material between populations. Ex-situ plants will be used experimentally to identify growth responses to heat and water stress to approximate responses of populations under warming climatic conditions, as well as serving as a seed orchard to provide extra seed for future restorations.