With little previous research on Astragalus peckii (Fabaceae), a state-listed
Threatened species in Oregon, I investigated three facets of its biology which are
integral to the conservation and management of the species. First, a four-year
demographic study of two large populations revealed increasing population growth at
one site (Chiloquin) and...
In addition to its longstanding recognition as an influential evolutionary process, interspecific hybridization is increasingly regarded as a potential threat to the genetic integrity and survival of rare plant species, manifested through gamete wasting, increased pest and disease pressures, outbreeding depression, competitive exclusion, and genetic assimilation. Alternatively, hybridization has also...
The showy biennial to short-lived perennial Oenothera wolfii (Munz) Raven, Dietrich & Stubbe (Wolf’s evening primrose) occurs in only a small number of isolated populations on the southern Oregon and northern California coast. This rare species is currently listed as Threatened in Oregon, and is considered a Species of Concern...
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Robert J. Meinke
The showy biennial to short-lived perennial Oenothera wolfii (Munz
Rare plant reintroductions are a critical conservation tool for the augmentation of diminishing populations, or re-establishment of extirpated populations. Analysis of reintroduction failures suggests that a sophisticated understanding of species biology, ecology, and habitat is essential for producing self-sustaining rare plant populations. This study sought to generate that background knowledge...
Pleuropogon oregonus Chase is a rare wetland grass endemic to eastern Oregon. The species is composed of two widely separated populations, one in Lake County and one in Union County. In order to reduce the risk of extinction, the Oregon Department of Agriculture Native Plant Conservation Program initiated several reintroduction...
Rare plant reintroductions that result in additional or more viable wild populations are important conservation tools for maintaining biodiverse ecosystems. Ideally, such projects are best designed as experiments, to improve biological and ecological knowledge of the selected species and monitoring long-term results. Northern wormwood (Artemisia campestris var. wormskioldii: Asteraceae), a...
Plagiobothrys hirtus (Boraginaceae) is a state and federally listed endangered plant found only in Douglas County, Oregon. This vernal pool endemic has historically been threatened by agricultural conversion of seasonal wetlands in the Sutherlin area, and is currently being eradicated as habitat is lost due to the rapid urban development...
In the wetland prairie of William L. Finley National Wildlife Refuge (FNWR) in western Oregon, we investigated the response of Delphinium pavonaceum Ewan (peacock larkspur, Ranunculaceae), an endangered perennial forb, to four unreplicated dormant season fire regimes of 0, 2, 4, or 10 fires that were applied over a 12-year...
Limnanthes floccosa ssp. floccosa and L. floccosa ssp. grandiflora are two of five subspecies of Limnanthes floccosa endemic to vernal pools in southern Oregon and northern California. Three seasons of monitoring natural populations have quantified that L. floccosa ssp. grandiflora is always found growing sympatrically with L. floccosa ssp. floccosa...
An experimental reintroduction was performed to determine the best method to create new populations of the tuberous species Perideridia erythrorhiza, a rare vascular plant endemic to southern Oregon. Only a handful of sites are currently present, and many of these are subject to other land uses such as urban development...