Abstract
• Most populations of three endangered plant species in central Germany ( Antennaria dioica, Omphalodes scorpioides, Viola pumila ) are very small and highly isolated due to habitat fragmentation. • Only 25-29% of the species’ occurrences observed in the last 200 years could be confirmed as extant. • Plant performance is influenced by population size, climate, soil parameters, and surrounding vegetation. Habitat loss and fragmentation, extensive land use, and climate change lead to an unprecedented amount of local extinctions in the Anthropocene. To protect endangered species, population ecological studies are essential to assess the current state of remnant populations. In addition, it is pertinent to investigate changes in the distribution of endangered species over time and space. Given the apparent lack of long-term studies, herbarium records are a valuable source for tracking these changes. In this study, we analyze three endangered plant species ( Antennaria dioica, Omphalodes scorpioides , and Viola pumila ), with different habitat preferences (dry grassland, riparian forest, and alluvial meadow, respectively) to examine their current status, and performance of the extant populations in central Germany. The analysis of herbarium specimens from the last 200 years indicates a dramatic decline in the occurrence area of all three species. Furthermore, most populations still found in central Germany are very small and strongly fragmented. Our results suggest that of several factors categorized into four groups (population size, climate, soil parameters, and vegetation parameters), the number of individuals or patches, Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI), soil depth, and percentage of bare soil exert the most pronounced influence on plant performance of the studied species. However, nature and strength of these correlations vary considerably across species. All this clearly shows an urgent need to prevent species extinction, underlining the imperative importance of species conservation, and the need for initiatives such as conservation breeding and reintroduction or reinforcement, which could lead to success even in small populations.
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Claims 8
Claim · model-written summary
Antennaria dioica showed a dramatic decline in occurrence area over 200 years.
- Taxon
- Antennaria dioica
Antennaria dioicat0 - Outcome
- occurrence areae0
- Direction
- declinee0
- Qualifier
- last 200 yearse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The analysis of herbarium specimens from the last 200 years indicates a dramatic decline in the occurrence area of all three species”
t0“three endangered plant species ( Antennaria dioica, Omphalodes scorpioides , and Viola pumila )”
Claim · model-written summary
Omphalodes scorpioides showed a dramatic decline in occurrence area over 200 years.
- Taxon
- Omphalodes scorpioides
Memoremea scorpioidest0 - Outcome
- occurrence areae0
- Direction
- declinee0
- Qualifier
- last 200 yearse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The analysis of herbarium specimens from the last 200 years indicates a dramatic decline in the occurrence area of all three species”
t0“three endangered plant species ( Antennaria dioica, Omphalodes scorpioides , and Viola pumila )”
Claim · model-written summary
Viola pumila showed a dramatic decline in occurrence area over 200 years.
- Taxon
- Viola pumila
Viola pumilat0 - Outcome
- occurrence areae0
- Direction
- declinee0
- Qualifier
- last 200 yearse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The analysis of herbarium specimens from the last 200 years indicates a dramatic decline in the occurrence area of all three species”
t0“three endangered plant species ( Antennaria dioica, Omphalodes scorpioides , and Viola pumila )”
Claim · model-written summary
Only 25–29% of historical occurrences were confirmed extant.
Verbatim
e0“Only 25-29% of the species’ occurrences observed in the last 200 years could be confirmed as extant”
t0“three endangered plant species ( Antennaria dioica, Omphalodes scorpioides , and Viola pumila )”
Claim · model-written summary
Most remaining populations were small and fragmented.
Verbatim
e0“most populations still found in central Germany are very small and strongly fragmented”
t0“three endangered plant species ( Antennaria dioica, Omphalodes scorpioides , and Viola pumila )”
Claim · model-written summary
Population size, drought index, soil depth and bare soil had the strongest relationships with plant performance.
- Taxon
- three endangered plant speciest0
- Outcome
- plant performancee0
- Qualifier
- most pronounced influencee0
- Setting
- soil depthe0
Not reportedDirection
Verbatim
e0“the number of individuals or patches, Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI), soil depth, and percentage of bare soil exert the most pronounced influence on plant performance of the studied species”
t0“three endangered plant species ( Antennaria dioica, Omphalodes scorpioides , and Viola pumila )”
Claim · model-written summary
The nature and strength of performance correlations differed among species.
Verbatim
e0“nature and strength of these correlations vary considerably across species”
t0“three endangered plant species ( Antennaria dioica, Omphalodes scorpioides , and Viola pumila )”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors call for conservation breeding and reintroduction or reinforcement.
Verbatim
e0“the need for initiatives such as conservation breeding and reintroduction or reinforcement”
t0“three endangered plant species ( Antennaria dioica, Omphalodes scorpioides , and Viola pumila )”