Discovering Australian Flora by Fanny Karouta-Manasse

Author:Fanny Karouta-Manasse
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781486315864
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Published: 2022-05-19T00:00:00+00:00

The following examples of conservation programs focus on plants listed as Threatened by the EPBC Act.

The

Critically Endangered terrestrial orchid Caladenia actensis is known from only two small separate populations in the ACT. Along with the hazards presented by having only a small number of populations and individuals, many direct and indirect threats such as climate change are affecting it. Its rarity also comes from the fact that its flowering season is very short, that during a long period its dormant tubers render the plant vulnerable to trampling, that the seeds and probably the mature plants rely on a mycorrhizal fungal host to germinate and grow, and that it has a specific wasp pollinator. This orchid, like others of the same genus, can only be pollinated by one species of thynnine wasp (Thynnidae family); each orchid species relies on a different wasp species. The orchid pretends to be a female wasp by imitating its pheromones, attracting male wasps which then try to mate with the labellum of the flower. The deceived male wasps load the pollen on their back and will pollinate other orchids of the same species without getting any reward. These orchids are said to be ‘sexually deceptive’. A long-term recovery program to conserve and manage the orchid’s habitat has been set up by the ACT Government in which the orchid’s sites are monitored.

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