A noteworthy case of rewilding Chinese yew from a garden population in eastern China

Kaidi Li; Guangfu Zhang; Ying Zhang; M Patrick Griffith

doi:10.7717/peerj.12341

A noteworthy case of rewilding Chinese yew from a garden population in eastern China

PeerJ. 2021 Oct 19:9:e12341. doi: 10.7717/peerj.12341. eCollection 2021.

Authors

Kaidi Li¹, Guangfu Zhang¹, Ying Zhang¹, M Patrick Griffith²

Affiliations

¹ Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Biodiversity and Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China.
² Montgomery Botanical Center, Miami, FL, United States of America.

Abstract

Chinese yew (Taxus wallichiana var. mairei) is ranked as a rare and endangered plant of first-grade protection of China. It has been widely cultivated in 17 provinces of China over the past few decades. However, little is known about the dispersion, rewilding, and ecological influence of Chinese yew's offspring during cultivation. Here, we report a noteworthy case of this species, via ex situ conservation, which has successfully spread into different secondary forests, thus forming a stable regenerating population in eastern China. The establishment of this yew population, which has > 900 individuals and 7 ha area, can be ascribed to two key ecological factors: (1) secondary forest near the parent yews that provided suitable microhabitats in which progeny yews could germinate and grow, and (2) seed-foraging and transportation by native birds. Thus, this case may offer a pathway for conserving endangered Chinese Taxus species, which can attract frugivorous birds to disperse their seeds. In addition, it is necessary to monitor the growth performance of progeny population in the field.

Keywords: Botanical garden management; Ex-situ conservation; Natural regeneration; Seed dispersal; Taxus wallichiana var. mairei.

Grants and funding

This paper was financially supported by the Top-notch Academic Programs Project of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions (TAPP). There was no additional external funding received for this study. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.