Sampling Strategies for Genetic Variation in Ex Situ Collections of Endangered Plant Species

Abstract

Abstract Strategies for the sampling of genetic resources should rest on a clear statement of the purposes for which the material is to be used. For ex situ collections of rare and endangered species, various purposes have been proposed (e.g., Given 1987). The major actual or potential roles for such collections are to provide material (1) to cultivate for study and display in botanic gardens; (2) to exploit commercially in horticulture, plantations, or forestry, and thereby replace commercial harvesting from natural populations; (3) to reestablish or enrich wild populations; (4) to be a source of single genes or characters for future transfer to domesticated species; and (5) to act as a refuge of last resort against extinction.