Abstract
ABSTRACT Astragalus bozakmanii Podlech, an endemic plant species to Turkey, was investigated to provide an understanding the conservation status of this species and to fill the gap in the knowledge of habitat of this species. Field studies were carried out randomly by sampling 2 × 2 m sizes, 10 quadrats from each region. The number of individuals was estimated by calculating the average individual numbers in small quadrats and extrapolating this result for approximate population area. Reproductive success was evaluated using the mean number of seeds per fruit and the number of ovules per flower. A. bozakmanii prefers saltless soils whose pH values range from 7.48 and 8.33. The seed set was 45.8% of the ovules. In this study, we observed that the flowers of A. bozakmanii were visited by Oxythyrea cinctella to feed on their reproductive parts, thus rendering them infertile. Considering all these findings, the global and national conservation status for Astragalus bozakmanii was assessed as Endangered (EN) B1ab (i, ii, iii) + 2ab (i, ii, iii) according to the new IUCN Red List criteria. In conclusion, appropriate conservation actions need to be developed so that natural enemies of agricultural pests can re-enter their habitats.
Highlights
Astragalus L. (Fabaceae), one of the largest genera of flowering plants on Earth, comprises almost 3,000 taxa and more than 250 sections (Podlech, 1986, Maassoumi, 1998, Podlech and Zarre, 2013, Atasagun et al, 2018)
476 taxa 64 sections have been recorded with 203 endemic taxa and 51% endemism rate in Turkey known as the important endemism and gene diversity centre of the genus. (Chamberlain and Mathews 1970, Aytaç et al 2012, Karaman Erkul et al 2014, İlçim & Behçet 2016)
A. bozakmanii grows on the calcareous main mass and is mostly distributed in the steppe, degraded oak areas and abandoned fields
Summary
Astragalus L. (Fabaceae), one of the largest genera of flowering plants on Earth, comprises almost 3,000 taxa and more than 250 sections (Podlech, 1986, Maassoumi, 1998, Podlech and Zarre, 2013, Atasagun et al, 2018). Astragalus bozakmanii Podlech was first collected in 1970 by Bozakman and K. Fitz on the Kızılcahaman-Çeltikçi road in Ankara province. It was known as an endemic species from Turkey, was published by Podlech (2001) as a new species in the revision studies. There are a lot of incomplete information about habitat preference, environmental requirements, ecological thresholds, limiting its distribution, population size, and potential threats on A. bozakmanii populations. The main goals of our research are (1) to provide data about the habitat and population size of A. bozakmanii; (2) to determine the environmental drivers of the species distribution range; (3) to identify its major threats; and (4) to re-evaluate its conservation status at global scale
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