Conservation ecology of Primula sieboldii: Synthesis of information toward the prediction of the genetic/demographic fate of a population

Abstract

In an age of deepening biodiversity crisis, plant species biological studies integrating ecological and genetic approaches, especially exhaustive studies with a model plant species, are urgently needed for both assessing the present status and implementing effective conservation measures, as a comprehensive understanding of demographic/ genetic interactions involved in the vicious cycle of plant population extinction is a prerequisite for any precise prediction regarding plant conservation. In this article, we summarize the major contributions to conservation ecological studies on a heterostylous clonal herb Primula sieboldii, focusing on gene flow and reproductive success, which are dependent on the life-history traits of the species and biological interactions with its effective pollinators, long-tongued bumblebees. © 2005 The Society for the Study of Species Biology.