Researchers rediscover oak tree thought to be extinct

The Morton Arboretum is located in Morton, Illinois.

An oak tree that was thought to be extinct has been rediscovered by a coalition of more than 10 institutions.

A group of researchers from The Morton Arboretum and the United States Botanic Garden found a tree that was 30 feet tall. The last specimen was thought to have died in 2011.

Murphy Westwood said that the work is crucial to preserve the biodiversity that Earth is so quickly losing. She said that if we ignore the decline of Q. tardifolia and other rare trees, we could see a lot of domino effects. Q. tardifolia is one of the most rare oak in the world.

Scientists think they can protect other organisms from the same fate by studying why the tree is dying. The question of whether or not this specimen can be saved is still unanswered.

There was a dire scene when the team made the discovery. Climate change makes it more likely that a fire will end its life, according to scientists. The group is working with the National Park Service to reduce the wildfire threat to the tree, and they are moving quickly to return to search for acorns and to attempt propagation, the process of breeding specimen from a parent plant.

Carolyn Whiting is a botanist at Big bend National Park. The wide range of habitats available in this'sky island' supports a high diversity of oak species. There is a lot to know about the oaks in the Chisos.

The United States Botanic Garden is funding and collaborating on the project and is thrilled about the success of the partnership. We are working with The Morton Arboretum to understand and conserve threatened trees.

The University of California, Davis Arboretum and Public Garden were one of the other collaborating partners.

What might the results of the analysis tell us?

Oaks hybridize, or crossbreed, which may allow them to adapt more quickly to changing climate conditions. It is possible to blur the genetic lines between oak species in a given environment. There is a chance that the analysis will raise more questions than it answers.

Andrew Hipp is the senior scientist in plant systematics and herbarium director at The Morton Arboretum. We are looking into the genetics of the tree to see if it is similar to other trees. We should know if this collection is the same as Q. tardifolia. It should tell us if this collection of oaks is genetically distinct enough from other oaks in the area to be considered a species.

Hipp said that it's important to preserve more than individual species, but also all the genetic variation in life. He said that species are genetically distinct and can be seen in the field. They aren't the only way to conserve. We want to protect the functional variation. There are many attributes that can be shared between populations and species. oaks of the region may need to adapt to environmental changes in the near or distant future if the functional variation that these new collections represent is anything to go by.

It's important to preserve oaks.

Oaks can't be traditionally seed banked forConservation purposes. They need to be preserved in the wild or living collections, which is why the involvement of botanical gardens is important. The researchers are worried that the Q. tardifolia tree isn't making enough acorns. The future of the oak is being preserved with other methods of propagation.

oaks are an ecological anchor that cleans air, filters water, sequesters carbon dioxide and supports countless insects, birds and mammals. We don't know what else we will lose when one is lost.

Westwood and others warn of the need for collaborative initiatives, such as the GlobalConservation Consortium for Oak, the involvement of botanical gardens, and a variety of scientific experts to secure a future for the Oak tree.

This tree is an old relic. The world is completely different now than it was when it was first formed due to the changing climate, according to the chief botanist at NatureServe. He said that it was incumbent on them to learn from it and protect it while they could. I don't think we will get a third chance. We're not going to waste it.

The lone Q. tardifolia tree was found by members of the May 2022 expedition.