Cryptic genetic bottlenecks during restoration of an endangered tropical conifer

Forest restoration programmes aim to use material for re-planting that is genetically diverse and not inbred. However, restricted seed sampling, high variance in reproductive output, and the production of inbred seeds that survive in the nursery but not in the wild can lead to forest restoration stock being genetically compromised. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the reproductive biology of the New Caledonian endemic conifer Araucaria nemorosa makes it susceptible to these genetic problems and to assess whether there is evidence for genetic bottlenecks and elevated inbreeding in nursery stock compared to seedlings and adults from wild source populations. Reproductive output was low with high variance among trees (only 14% of adult trees surveyed produced mature cones, >50% of examined cones had