Muehlenbeckia tuggeranong (Polygonaceae) is an endangered dioecious shrub, endemic to the ACT Murrumbidgee River corridor. The current population consists of only four individual male plants within a limited distribution of just 1km, containing very low genetic diversity and very limited chances of any natural reproduction.
Since the 1990s, the ANBG has worked with the ACT Government and the National Seed Bank to establish an ex-situ collection of M. tuggeranong that includes both male and female plants. This collection contains all the known available genetic diversity within the species, including most genotypes of now extinct individuals in the wild. In 2022, seeds were produced by the species for the first time since its discovery. These seeds were collected and germinated at the ANBG and added to the ex-situ collection. Genetic analysis has shown that this new generation of plants contains genetically unique individuals which present multiple morphological differences compared to the parent plants. These differences include the ability to produce significantly more seeds and even a change in breeding system, suggesting an increase in fitness and survival potential. These findings represent a unique opportunity to rescue this species from the brink of extinction.
Here, we present how a holistic conservation approach that includes investigating seed germination strategies, plant reproductive fitness and genetics, is informing the conservation of M. tuggeranong, with the long-term goal of establishing new, genetically diverse populations in the wild.