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Conservation Status and Management Insights from Tracking a Cryptic and Critically Endangered Species of Orchidaceae

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Conservation Status and Management Insights from Tracking a Cryptic and Critically Endangered Species of Orchidaceae Conservation status and management insights from tracking a cryptic and Critically Endangered species of Orchidaceae T. KRAAIJ,J.A.BAARD and B . J . C RAIN Abstract Ninety-five percent of orchid species associated To view supplementary material for this article, please visit with fynbos shrublands of South Africa’s Cape Floristic http://dx.doi.org/./S Kingdom have been assessed for the IUCN Red List, yet as- pects of their demography and population biology remain poorly understood. We conducted a -year demographic study of the Critically Endangered Disa procera, a cryptic, terrestrial species from South Africa with a global popula- Introduction tion of c. individuals known from a single location. We he Cape Floristic Kingdom in South Africa is a global aimed to provide management recommendations that biodiversity hotspot (Myers et al., ) that comprises would facilitate its persistence. Our findings indicate that T one of the most unique and threatened orchid floras the population of D. procera is larger than previously (McDonald, ; Linder et al., ). Endemism and rarity thought, and the species occurs at two distinct locations. are common amongst Orchidaceae of the region (Stewart These orchids exhibit high interannual variation in popula- et al., ; Linder et al., ; Liltved & Johnson, ); tion size and turnover of individuals, potentially indicative % are endemic and % are near-endemic (Liltved & of a species with a short life span, and still meet the criteria Johnson, ). Accordingly, of the orchid species as- for Critically Endangered status. The species benefits from sociated with fynbos, a primary vegetation type of the re- disturbances, such as brush cutting along trails, or fire, gion, are on the IUCN Red List (Raimondo et al., ). which open up clearances in the vegetation. However, phys- Nonetheless, relatively little is known about the fundamen- ical damage to plants during their aboveground growing tal ecology of many of the region’s orchid species, and with- season (September–January) is particularly detrimental out this information it is difficult for conservation managers and should be avoided in habitat management for the spe- and policy makers to understand how these species will re- cies. Fire had beneficial effects at the population and indi- spond to threats, and how to make effective decisions when vidual levels and is recommended at –-year intervals, working to protect them. outside the orchid’s growing season. The species exhibited Although for some orchid species rarity and endemism comparatively high rates of fruit set (%), suggesting that may be attributable to natural rarity (Stuckey, ), threats pollination limitation does not currently constrain its per- such as habitat loss or degradation, invasive exotic plants, formance. Its patchy distribution may, however, indicate illegal harvesting, and inappropriate burning regimes constraints on dispersal or recruitment. We recommend (mostly fire suppression) also play critical roles in the that management strategies should include continued pro- Cape Floristic Kingdom and elsewhere (Duncan et al., tection and monitoring of both populations, studies on pol- ; Raimondo et al., ; Bytebier et al., ; lination, habitat requirements and mycorrhizal associates, Whitman et al., ; Crain & Tremblay, ). In temperate and a prescribed disturbance regime. areas such as South Africa, the USA and Australia, for ex- Keywords Cape Floristic Kingdom, Critically Endangered ample, appropriate burning regimes are particularly import- species, Disa procera, fire regime, fynbos shrubland, man- ant for many orchid populations, as regularly occurring fires agement strategies, non-destructive sampling, population are known to be beneficial for a number of species in terms biology of reproduction and population growth (Bowles, ; Bytebier et al., , ; Coates & Duncan, ; Lamont & Downes, ). Fire is known to have a positive T. KRAAIJ (Corresponding author) Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, effect on orchid populations, as it removes competing vege- School of Natural Resource Management—Nature Conservation, Private Bag tation, releases nutrients and reduces harmful fungi and X6531, George, 6530, South Africa. E-mail [email protected] other pests and pathogens (Stuckey, ; Stewart et al., J. A. BAARD South African National Parks, Garden Route Scientific Services, Knysna, South Africa ; Coates & Duncan, ; Liltved & Johnson, ). In South Africa several species of Disa P.J. Bergius orchids, a B. J. CRAIN Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, USA charismatic group from the region, reproduce only after Received July . Revision requested August . fires (Bytebier et al., ). Consequently, it is critical that Accepted February . First published online June . the effects of fire are assessed when making management Oryx, 2017, 51(3), 441–450 © 2016 Fauna & Flora International doi:10.1017/S0030605316000272 Downloaded from https://www.cambridge.org/core. IP address: 170.106.40.219, on 01 Oct 2021 at 06:59:04, subject to the Cambridge Core terms of use, available at https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0030605316000272 442 T. Kraaij et al. decisions for rare and threatened orchid species in places slender, delicate and grass-like in appearance) makes vege- such as the Cape Floristic Kingdom. tative individuals practically indistinguishable from sympat- Despite the high level of rarity and threat pertaining to ric grasses and sedges when flowers are not present. orchids of the Cape Floristic Kingdom, including many spe- Furthermore, individuals are difficult to mark because cies of Disa, aspects of their demographics and the driving handling or tagging them can cause damage (particularly forces behind them are little studied and are mostly inferred to underground portions). The species’ transient nature pre- from analyses undertaken elsewhere (e.g. Stuckey, ; sents a considerable challenge to its study. Mehrhoff, , ; Hutchings, a,b). In terms of Monitoring of D. procera is therefore confined to flower- southern African orchids in general, the published literature ing individuals, in which form the species is identifiable and focuses on topics such as taxonomy and biogeography distinctive from congeners. Prior to initiation of the study, (Johnson & Bond, ; Steiner et al., ; Linder et al., surveys conducted by a group of volunteer citizen scientists ; Liltved, ; Bytebier et al., ; Johnson et al., experienced in plant identification (the Custodians of Rare ), and comprehensive information on the population and Endangered Wildflowers) indicated that the total popu- biology of many species is lacking. However, a sound under- lation of D. procera comprised c. flowering individuals standing of the population biology of rare or threatened spe- during any particular growing season. All individuals oc- cies is a requisite for most conservation management efforts curred in – sub-locations (depending on the survey (Dixon & Cook, ), and a lack thereof is considered a year), most of which were associated with some form of dis- threat to a species’ persistence (Raimondo et al., ). turbance (e.g. trails and clearing) that reduced aboveground Accordingly, we studied the population dynamics and vegetation cover. habitat attributes of Disa procera H.P. Linder, a Critically Given the rare and threatened status of D. procera, the Endangered terrestrial orchid associated with fynbos shrub- primary objective of our study was to perform an up-to-date lands along the southern Cape coast of South Africa, to ob- survey of the species, to evaluate its demographic attributes tain information critical for the development of an effective and trends, and to determine how it is affected by habitat conservation strategy for the species. At the last assessment management. We were particularly interested in exploring of the species (Von Staden & Turner, ) D. procera was how fire may influence the health and recovery of the spe- known from only a single location , km in extent and cies, given ongoing changes in natural burning regimes had a global population of c. individuals. The main pres- where it occurs. Accordingly, our specific aims were to () sures leading to the decline of this species have been habitat record the current size of the population of D. procera, transformation as a result of coastal development, agricul- and assess interannual variation in the number of indivi- tural expansion and plantation forestry (Von Staden & duals and overall growth rates, () quantify measures of Turner, ). Furthermore, the population continues to plant vigour and fecundity as indicators of population per- face threats from inappropriate vegetation management ac- formance, and assess if these measures vary through time, tions (e.g. a lack of, or excessive, disturbance from fires, her- and () examine the effects of fire on plant vigour and fe- bivores and brush-cutting along roads and trails; illegal cundity as well as on population growth rates and persist- collection; and invasive alien plants; TK, JB, pers. obs.). ence probabilities. Ultimately we endeavoured to offer Consequently, the species is categorized as Critically management recommendations that would facilitate opti- Endangered on the IUCN Red List, based on its limited ex- mal population performance and thus perseverance of this tent of occurrence and continuing declines in its area of oc- Critically Endangered species. cupancy and in the number of mature individuals in the population,
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