Ballesteros Daniel, Davies Rachael M, Peach Jennifer L, Pence Valerie C
Departamento de botánica y geología, Universitat de València, Av. Vicent Andrés Estellés s/n. 46100-Burjassot, Valencia, Spain.
Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Wakehurst, Ardingly, West Sussex RH17 6TN, UK.
Ann Bot. 2025 Sep 2;136(1):111-128. doi: 10.1093/aob/mcaf058.
A quarter of the assessed carnivorous plants (CPs) are threatened with extinction, and the effectiveness of ex situ conservation initiatives must be evaluated to complement in situ conservation efforts. Conventional seed storage (e.g. 15 % relative humidity, -20 °C) is the most common and efficient strategy for plant ex situ conservation, but seeds of diverse CPs might be short lived in these conditions. Thus, there is a need to assess their longevity empirically and comparatively and to evaluate the success of alternative storage options.
Diverse seed collections were used to assess longevity of seeds of 13 CP species stored (some for 30 years) in various storage conditions: ambient/uncontrolled, conventional and cryogenic.
The relative short longevity of CP seeds stored in ambient/uncontrolled and conventional conditions was confirmed for some taxa (e.g. Drosera rotundifolia L.). Nevertheless, despite this potential short longevity, seeds of 64 % of accessions tested retained their initial viability for up to two decades when stored in conventional seed bank conditions. Only some accessions stored for longer times (>25 years) showed significant signs of deterioration, with D. rotundifolia and Drosera anglica Huds. showing a time for viability to fall to 50 % (P50) in the region of other taxa considered medium/short or short lived in comparable cold/dry storage conditions. As an alternative (or complement) to conventional seed banking, cryogenic storage of dry seeds was able to preserve a high germination percentage of seeds of CPs stored for up to two decades. Furthermore, seedlings obtained developed normally into healthy plants when monitored for ≤1.5 years after germination.
Despite the potential short lifespan of seeds of some CP taxa, this paper highlights and supports their routine dry storage in ex situ conservation programmes to support in situ conservation initiatives.
四分之一被评估的食虫植物面临灭绝威胁，必须评估迁地保护措施的有效性，以补充就地保护工作。传统的种子储存（如相对湿度15%，-20°C）是植物迁地保护最常见且有效的策略，但不同食虫植物的种子在这些条件下可能寿命较短。因此，有必要通过实证比较来评估它们的寿命，并评估其他储存方式的成效。
使用多种种子收集样本，评估13种食虫植物种子在不同储存条件下（环境/非控制、传统和低温）的寿命（有些已储存30年）。
对于某些分类群（如圆叶茅膏菜），证实了在环境/非控制和传统条件下储存的食虫植物种子寿命相对较短。然而，尽管有这种潜在的短寿命，64%的测试种质种子在传统种子库条件下储存时，长达二十年仍保持其初始活力。只有一些储存时间较长（>25年）的种质显示出明显的劣化迹象，圆叶茅膏菜和毛毡苔在其他分类群中，在类似的冷/干储存条件下被认为是中/短或短寿命的情况下，其活力降至50%（P50）的时间。作为传统种子库的替代（或补充），干燥种子的低温储存能够保存长达二十年的食虫植物种子的高发芽率。此外，发芽后监测≤1.5年时，获得的幼苗正常发育成健康植株。
尽管一些食虫植物分类群的种子可能寿命较短，但本文强调并支持在迁地保护计划中对它们进行常规干燥储存，以支持就地保护工作。
