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Salt marsh bird's-beak Chloropyron maritimum ssp. maritimum

Goal: Maintain or enhance existing salt marsh bird's-beak occurrences and create salt marsh to establish new occurrences to reduce risk of population loss to rising sea levels and to ensure multiple conserved occurrences with self sustaining populations to increase resilience to environmental and demographic stochasticity, maintain genetic diversity, and ensure persistence over the long term (>100 years) in salt marsh vegetation communities.

Regional NFO 2018 SL
MGT-PRP-SBPL CHLMAR-5

Management units: 1

Prepare a salt marsh bird's-beak section in the MSP Seed Collection, Banking and Bulking Plan that incorporates best science and management practices (Wall 2009, KEW 2016) to preserve genetic diversity and rescue occurrences in case of catastrophic disturbance. The plan should include recommendations from the 2016-2017 genetics study and from 2017-2019 seed collection and banking efforts conducted by San Diego Zoo's Institute for Conservation Research to guide collection and storing of seeds over the long term at a permanent, established conservation seed bank (e.g., Institute for Conservation Research Native Plant Seed Bank, Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden Seed Conservation Program) and for providing seeds for management purposes. The plan should include recommendations for: collecting and storing seeds for conservation banking; management oriented research; rescuing occurrences after catastrophic disturbances; and seed bulking and out-planting to augment extant occurrences or to establish new occurrences with consideration of genetic implications for population sustainability.

Action Statement Action status Projects
PRP-1 Consult the San Diego County Rare Plant Working Group made up of plant ecologists, geneticists, rare plant experts, land managers, restoration practitioners, seed banking and bulking practitioners, wildlife agencies, and other stakeholders to provide input and recommendations for the salt marsh bird's-beak section in the MSP Seed Collection, Banking and Bulking Plan. some occurrences are in progress California Plant Rescue (CaPR) - San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance's Native Plant Seed Bank
PRP-2 Prepare the seed collection plan to incorporate genetic study results and with recommendations to collect seeds over multiple years and several times within a season, accumulate seeds across populations, and to sample among habitats and ecological niches. Include guidelines for collecting and storing seeds along maternal lines and to provide propagules to be used in management experiments, enhancement of existing occurrences, and establishment of new occurrences. some occurrences are in progress California Plant Rescue (CaPR) - San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance's Native Plant Seed Bank
PRP-3 The seed collection plan should have guidelines for collecting seeds from occurrences of sufficient size to accommodate harvest. Include provisions for collecting seed from unconserved populations planned for development. some occurrences are in progress California Plant Rescue (CaPR) - San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance's Native Plant Seed Bank
PRP-4 Include protocols and guidelines for collecting voucher specimens and submitting to the San Diego Natural History Museum (McEachern et al. 2007). some occurrences are in progress California Plant Rescue (CaPR) - San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance's Native Plant Seed Bank
PRP-5 Include guidelines for testing seeds for viability and to obtain information on dormancy and germination rates. some occurrences are in progress California Plant Rescue (CaPR) - San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance's Native Plant Seed Bank
PRP-6 Submit project metadata and the MSP Seed Collection, Banking and Bulking Plan to MSP Web Portal. some occurrences are in progress California Plant Rescue (CaPR) - San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance's Native Plant Seed Bank
Criteria Deadline year
By 2019, Completed Salt Marsh Bird's-beak Section in the MSP Seed Collection, Banking and Bulking Plan 2021
Code Obj. code Statement
CHLMAR-1 MON-IMP-IMG Beginning in 2017, annually inspect salt marsh bird's-beak occurrences on Conserved Lands (see occurrence table) using the regional rare plant IMG monitoring protocol to record abundance and collect habitat and threats covariate data to determine management needs.
CHLMAR-3 MON-RES-GEN In 2017, complete the study begun in 2016 to characterize the population genetic structure, gene flow, and genetic diversity for salt marsh bird's-beak occurrences (see occurrence table). The study will determine if there is evidence of mixed ploidy levels within or among occurrences; evaluate vulnerability of occurrences to genetic drift and loss of genetic diversity; assess the level of gene flow among occurrences; identify if there are signatures of genetic bottlenecks or low genetic diversity in occurrences that have undergone recent reductions; and look for evidence of local population adaptation. Based on the results of the genetic analyses, management recommendations will include whether common garden and reciprocal transplantations are necessary before proceeding with population enhancement or restoration and will provide specific recommendations for collecting, bulking and distributing to enhance existing occurrences and establish new occurrences.
CHLMAR-4 MON-DEV-MODL in 2018, develop models predicting habitat suitability under future climate scenarios and combine the habitat models with projected increases in sea level and urban development to evaluate and prioritize sites for establishing new occurrences of salt marsh bird's-beak. Formulate management recommendations to reduce risk and increase persistence of salt marsh bird's-beak populations under changing conditions of climate and land use.
CHLMAR-5 MGT-PRP-SBPL Prepare a salt marsh bird's-beak section in the MSP Seed Collection, Banking and Bulking Plan that incorporates best science and management practices (Wall 2009, KEW 2016) to preserve genetic diversity and rescue occurrences in case of catastrophic disturbance. The plan should include recommendations from the 2016-2017 genetics study and from 2017-2019 seed collection and banking efforts conducted by San Diego Zoo's Institute for Conservation Research to guide collection and storing of seeds over the long term at a permanent, established conservation seed bank (e.g., Institute for Conservation Research Native Plant Seed Bank, Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden Seed Conservation Program) and for providing seeds for management purposes. The plan should include recommendations for: collecting and storing seeds for conservation banking; management oriented research; rescuing occurrences after catastrophic disturbances; and seed bulking and out-planting to augment extant occurrences or to establish new occurrences with consideration of genetic implications for population sustainability.
CHLMAR-6 MGT-IMP-SBPL From 2017-2019, collect salt marsh bird's-beak seed for conservation banking. In 2019, begin implementing high priority actions for salt marsh bird's-beak from the MSP Seed Collection, Banking and Bulking Plan to collect and store seeds at a permanent seed bank and to provide propagules as needed for management oriented research, existing population enhancement and establishment of new occurrences.
CHLMAR-7 MGT-PRP-MGTPL In 2018, begin preparing a salt marsh bird's-beak section in the MSP Rare Plant Management Plan that prioritizes management actions to maintain and enhance large occurrences, enhance and expand at least 3 small occurrences, and establish at least 1 new occurrence on Conserved Lands (see occurrence table). Management actions should be based upon an assessment of data on occurrence status, habitat and threats and include recommendations for creating salt marsh habitat and establishing new occurrences in response to a projected rise in sea level and for re-establishing historic occurrences as necessary for gene flow and long term persistence. Include recommendations from the 2017 genetics study, MSP Seed Collection, Banking and Bulking Plan, relevant best management practices (BMPs), and for monitoring the effectiveness of management actions.