The Red List of Betulaceae. Shaw, K., Stritch, L., Rivers, M., Roy, S., Wilson, B., & Govaerts, R. Botanic Gardens Conservation International, Richmond, United Kingdom, 2014.
abstract   bibtex   
[Excerpt] The Betulaceae, the birches, alders, hazels, hornbeams, hop hornbeams and Ostryopsis, include some commercially important timber and nut producing trees. Several species of Betula are ecologically dominant in cold-temperate Northern Hemisphere forests and tundra, while some species of Alnus, Carpinus and Corylus form smaller pure stands or are major components of forest, scrub forest or forest understorey. In these more northern forests, to a large extent in formerly glaciated areas, there are no, or hardly any, relict endangered species. Other species of all genera are components of warm-temperate to tropical forests and relicts of the Arcto-Tertiary forests in which such species were much more prominent and widely distributed (Crane and Stockey 1987; Collinson 2000; Manchester and Tiffney 2001). It is among these that we find the rare and threatened species, largely in the well known refugia on low latitude mountain ranges in Japan, Korea, south China and Taiwan, the Caucasus/ Caspian region, and southern parts of eastern North America. [\n] This Red List report, the 10th in a series produced by the IUCN/SSC Global Tree Specialist Group, provides the results of a global conservation assessment for the family Betulaceae. It highlights the relatively small number of taxa that qualify as globally threatened using the IUCN Red List categories and criteria. [\n] In the Betulaceae the taxonomy in several genera is confused, so it can be difficult to determine conservation status. However, it should usually be possible to differentiate between very distinct paleoendemics deserving of conservation effort, and taxa which are probably minor variants of common, widely distributed species which will not usually justify significant conservation effort (Ashburner and McAllister 2013). [\n] In some cases mere forms (e.g. Betula oycoviensis and B. lenta f. uber) or minor variants of common species have been red listed in the past and considerable resources spent on their conservation, while equally distinctive populations have not been considered because they have not been named (e.g. the tetraploid Greek population of A. glutinosa). Lack of information on little known species, mainly from less studied parts of the world, is a major issue, and this list highlights these and should stimulate those cultivating such species to ensure they maintain breeding populations until certain that the wild populations are secure. [\n] Ideally the taxonomy of Betulaceae would be resolved first, before deciding conservation priorities, but this can take a long time (Landrum, 2003), and it is essential that this Red List report is published sooner rather than later to draw attention to those species requiring attention. In this family some of these species may be of potential economic significance as well as being worthy of conservation for their own sake. This is likely to apply to species of Alnus because of their value in reclamation due to their nitrogen fixing properties. Some shrubby species (e.g. A. faurei, A. sieboldiana) seem to be much more drought tolerant than is usually realised and could be ideal as nurse species for timber trees. Alder species appear to be cross-compatible with respect to symbiont Frankia strains, all species developing effective nodules in UK soils. [\n] Conservationists often insist that large populations are required to maintain the genetic diversity of a species but, with large woody plants, maintaining such living collections is often not possible except for species of value in forestry. Fortunately seed of species of Betulaceae is usually fairly long-lived in storage. [\n] Though inbreeding depression is always a potential problem (Kuser 1983; Coates 1992; De Smet 1993), there are many instances where very small numbers of individuals have given rise to huge populations following introductions-as long as populations have been able to expand rapidly, lack of initial genetic diversity does not seem to have been a problem (Taggart et al. 1990; Meffert 1999; Merilä 1996; Jackson, et al. 2004). Self-compatible inbreeders such as some rare Betulaceae may already have suffered the consequences of inbreeding but still survived, perhaps following purging of deleterious genes (Byers and Waller 1999). With rare species it is clearly essential with self-incompatible species, and probably desirable with self-compatible ones (Kuser 1983), that more than one clone is maintained in cultivation in a garden to ensure seed production. Far too many gardens grow single plants of such threatened species as curators try to find space for as many different species as possible. However, to conserve the genetic variation of variable species it certainly requires the survival of a larger number of individuals than can usually be maintained in cultivation, species often being represented in cultivation by a tiny fraction of their variation in the wild (Jeffrey, 1982, Brodie et al. 1998). This is why conservation of wild populations is always preferable where possible. [...]
@book{shawRedListBetulaceae2014,
  title = {The {{Red List}} of {{Betulaceae}}},
  author = {Shaw, Kirsty and Stritch, Larry and Rivers, Malin and Roy, Shyamali and Wilson, Becky and Govaerts, Rafa{\"e}l},
  year = {2014},
  publisher = {{Botanic Gardens Conservation International}},
  address = {{Richmond, United Kingdom}},
  abstract = {[Excerpt] The Betulaceae, the birches, alders, hazels, hornbeams, hop hornbeams and Ostryopsis, include some commercially important timber and nut producing trees. Several species of Betula are ecologically dominant in cold-temperate Northern Hemisphere forests and tundra, while some species of Alnus, Carpinus and Corylus form smaller pure stands or are major components of forest, scrub forest or forest understorey. In these more northern forests, to a large extent in formerly glaciated areas, there are no, or hardly any, relict endangered species. Other species of all genera are components of warm-temperate to tropical forests and relicts of the Arcto-Tertiary forests in which such species were much more prominent and widely distributed (Crane and Stockey 1987; Collinson 2000; Manchester and Tiffney 2001). It is among these that we find the rare and threatened species, largely in the well known refugia on low latitude mountain ranges in Japan, Korea, south China and Taiwan, the Caucasus/ Caspian region, and southern parts of eastern North America.

[\textbackslash n] This Red List report, the 10th in a series produced by the IUCN/SSC Global Tree Specialist Group, provides the results of a global conservation assessment for the family Betulaceae. It highlights the relatively small number of taxa that qualify as globally threatened using the IUCN Red List categories and criteria.

[\textbackslash n] In the Betulaceae the taxonomy in several genera is confused, so it can be difficult to determine conservation status. However, it should usually be possible to differentiate between very distinct paleoendemics deserving of conservation effort, and taxa which are probably minor variants of common, widely distributed species which will not usually justify significant conservation effort (Ashburner and McAllister 2013).

[\textbackslash n] In some cases mere forms (e.g. Betula oycoviensis and B. lenta f. uber) or minor variants of common species have been red listed in the past and considerable resources spent on their conservation, while equally distinctive populations have not been considered because they have not been named (e.g. the tetraploid Greek population of A. glutinosa). Lack of information on little known species, mainly from less studied parts of the world, is a major issue, and this list highlights these and should stimulate those cultivating such species to ensure they maintain breeding populations until certain that the wild populations are secure.

[\textbackslash n] Ideally the taxonomy of Betulaceae would be resolved first, before deciding conservation priorities, but this can take a long time (Landrum, 2003), and it is essential that this Red List report is published sooner rather than later to draw attention to those species requiring attention. In this family some of these species may be of potential economic significance as well as being worthy of conservation for their own sake. This is likely to apply to species of Alnus because of their value in reclamation due to their nitrogen fixing properties. Some shrubby species (e.g. A. faurei, A. sieboldiana) seem to be much more drought tolerant than is usually realised and could be ideal as nurse species for timber trees. Alder species appear to be cross-compatible with respect to symbiont Frankia strains, all species developing effective nodules in UK soils.

[\textbackslash n] Conservationists often insist that large populations are required to maintain the genetic diversity of a species but, with large woody plants, maintaining such living collections is often not possible except for species of value in forestry. Fortunately seed of species of Betulaceae is usually fairly long-lived in storage.

[\textbackslash n] Though inbreeding depression is always a potential problem (Kuser 1983; Coates 1992; De Smet 1993), there are many instances where very small numbers of individuals have given rise to huge populations following introductions-as long as populations have been able to expand rapidly, lack of initial genetic diversity does not seem to have been a problem (Taggart et al. 1990; Meffert 1999; Meril\"a 1996; Jackson, et al. 2004). Self-compatible inbreeders such as some rare Betulaceae may already have suffered the consequences of inbreeding but still survived, perhaps following purging of deleterious genes (Byers and Waller 1999). With rare species it is clearly essential with self-incompatible species, and probably desirable with self-compatible ones (Kuser 1983), that more than one clone is maintained in cultivation in a garden to ensure seed production. Far too many gardens grow single plants of such threatened species as curators try to find space for as many different species as possible. However, to conserve the genetic variation of variable species it certainly requires the survival of a larger number of individuals than can usually be maintained in cultivation, species often being represented in cultivation by a tiny fraction of their variation in the wild (Jeffrey, 1982, Brodie et al. 1998). This is why conservation of wild populations is always preferable where possible. [...]},
  isbn = {978-1-905164-58-5},
  keywords = {*imported-from-citeulike-INRMM,~INRMM-MiD:c-13628742,alnus-spp,betula-spp,betulaceae,carpinus-spp,conservation,corylus-spp,forest-resources,iucn,ostrya-spp,ostryopsis-spp},
  lccn = {INRMM-MiD:c-13628742}
}

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