SEED DISPERSAL IN FLORIDA TILLANDSIA: A SEED TRAP PROTOTYPE

Date of Award

2021

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Natural Sciences

First Advisor

Oberle, Brad

Area of Concentration

Biology

Abstract

Located high in the canopies of Florida’s forests are the homes of air plants, specialized plants that do not root into the ground, but instead live on other plants. The most abundant group of air plants in Florida is in the genus Tillandsia. Of the 14 taxa of Tillandsia found in Florida, three are listed as threatened, and three as endangered (Weaver and Anderson). While habitat loss and poaching are both considered to be partially responsible for the decline in Tillandsia populations, most researchers are in consensus that the invasion of the Mexican Bromeliad Weevil (Metamasius callizona) is the largest contributor to population decline (Cooper and Cave; Frank and Fish; Sidoti and Frank). Comprehensive conservation programs for T. utriculata and T. fasciculata calls for raising individuals in a “safe zone” away from any weevil exposure, then deploying mature, fruiting plants into natural areas (Cooper). To support these conservation efforts, the goal of this thesis was to test a seed trap that could be used to test the efficacy of conservation efforts. To this end, a prototype was created based on current research on seed traps and Tillandsia seeds. These prototypes were then deployed for one year at Myakka River State Park and then analyzed. Overall, the seed traps were effective at selectively capturing Tillandsia seeds, and provided a structure for the seeds to germinate on. While traps were successful, Tillandsia recruitment was low, likely due to the materials used for the trap. The upsides and downsides of the prototype are discussed and finally, a modified seed trap is proposed taking into account the results from the field.

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