| Abstract Detail
The conservation biology of fungi Molina, Randy [1]. Rare species conservation and management: lessons from the Pacific Northwest, USA. A fundamental problem in fungal conservation is knowing whether a species is truly rare or simply under-collected. If a species is truly rare, how does one protect its known location(s) or habitat to conserve the species? This presentation uses examples from the fungal conservation program conducted under the guidelines of the Northwest Forest Plan (NWFP) to explore concepts of fungal rarity, conservation and management. In 1994, 234 fungal species were listed for protection under the NWFP, an area encompassing 9.7 million ha of federal land in the States of Washington, Oregon and northern California. The fungal species were presumed rare, associated with late-successional old-growth forests, and in need of protection not afforded by the major elements of the NWFP, including a vast system of forest reserves. The conservation guidelines called for protecting known sites while gathering information through surveys to learn more about species rarity, distribution, habitat requirements, and persistence concerns. After 12 years of survey the total number of collection records for all listed species increased four-fold from approximately 3500 to 14400. Fifty-five percent of species were found at 20 or fewer sites and considered rare; 42 % were found at ten or fewer sites. Mapped distributions of known locations varied among species, but in total were well distributed throughout the NWFP area, thus indicating the importance of the entire NWFP area in conserving rare fungi. The NWFP relies on a system of late-successional forest reserves to act as a coarse-filter conservation approach to provide protection for late-successional species. Ninety percent of fungal species had some portion of their known sites within reserves, but only 34 % of total sites occurred within reserves. Thus, for the rarest species, applying a fine-filter conservation approach that protects known locations outside of reserves becomes an important aspect of species protection.
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1 - US Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station, Forestry Sciences Laboratory, 3200 SW Jefferson Way, Corvallis, OR, 97331, USA
Keywords:
locally rare
little known
course - fine filter
reserves.
Presentation Type: Symposium or Colloquium Presentation
Session: SY7
Location: Ballroom 3/Cliff Lodge - Level B
Date: Tuesday, July 28th, 2009
Time: 4:15 PM
Number: SY7005
Abstract ID:399 |
