Conservation Strategies for the Protection and Propagation of the Federally Endangered Orchid, Navasota Ladies Tresses (Spiranthes parksii). Grant uri icon

abstract

  • The primary purpose for the funding from BVSWMA is for the Agency to fulfill requirement to mitigate
    for destroying habitat of the federally listed endangered orchid, Navasota Ladies’‐Tresses. To mitigate
    the Agency agreed to provide funding to the Ecosystem Science and Management Department, Texas
    A&M University to conduct research on the species. Specific ongoing and continuing into the future,
    research efforts deal with the following topics:
    1. Monitor plants on the landfill footprint and in onsite protected areas to determine
    plant survivorship and numerical changes in numbers overtime due to weather
    variation, herbivory and other potential influences.
    2. Develop methods for transplanting plants from the footprint to protected areas.
    3. Study the basic biology of the species including habitat requirements, natural
    reproduction, longevity of individuals of the species, relationship of the species to
    competition from other herbaceous and woody species, mycoorhizal relationships,
    and genetic relationships to similar co‐occurring species.
    4. Develop methods to enhance survivability and to increase populations of the
    species through the use of woody plant control using fire, herbivory, mechanical and
    chemical means of manipulation of the vegetation of the plant communities where
    the species tends to occur.
    All of the above studies require long term monitoring of the species in order to obtain meaningful data
    to provide this information.

date/time interval

  • 2019 - 2021