Restoring Agave palmeri Populations: Critical Factors for Seeding and Transplanting in Disturbed Landscapes

Abstract

Agave palmeri (Palmer's agave) is a semelparous, perennial succulent thought to provide critical forage for the endangered species, Leptonycteris curasoae (lesser long-nosed bat). Preserving intact agave populations and mitigating loss of habitat may be critical to L. curasoae recovery. Two methods for restoring A. palmeri in disturbed habitats were evaluated: seeding and translocation. In a greenhouse, the emergence and establishment of 2700 seeds was tested across four environmental variables: irrigation level, shade, surface mulch, and soil type. The overall emergence of seedlings was low, particularly in low irrigation, unshaded, unmulched treatments--conditions that might be commonly expected in disturbed habitats. In the field, growth responses of 277 wild transplants were assessed in relation to size class, initial water availability, and storage method. Transplants of all sizes responded positively when replanting coincided with seasonal rainfall, suggesting that salvaging and replanting A. palmeri plants may be a promising restoration strategy.