Raquel Folgado, a cryobiologist working at the Huntington Botanical Gardens. She’s at the helm of these pioneering initiatives to employ cryopreservation to rescue plants from extinction. This novel approach centers on creating new protocols to cryogenically deep-freeze living plant specimens, safeguarding their genetic material for use and study by future generations. As climate change and habitat destruction put more and more pressure on species, the value of these techniques has only grown in urgency.
So far, less than 1 percent of the plants unsuitable for a regular seed bank have been cryopreserved. Folgado and her team have ensured that their research has gone beyond just one species. Among them, avocados are uniquely vulnerable to our changing environmental conditions. Success with cryopreservation would have remarkable ramifications. Beyond conservation and potentially creating fodder crops that could tolerate climate stresses, it can help them to thrive well beyond their traditional ecological ranges—all without genetic modification.
The Economics of Cryopreservation
Maintaining cryopreserved plants is economically advantageous. Once frozen, the cost of maintenance decreases dramatically, with costs averaging only $1 to $2 a year per specimen. Researchers estimate that investing in the cryopreservation of a single plant species could yield benefits within 10 to 15 years. This cost-effectiveness combined with its striking beauty undoubtedly makes it an alluring proposition for botanical gardens and conservation organizations alike, seeking to save endangered species.
Folgado emphasizes the potential of cryopreservation as a “garden on standby for things that can be lost.” This artistic approach and professional practice provide a protective safety net to plant species facing extinction from environmental forces such as climate change. As conservationist Wolff told NPR, scientists can freeze and bank genetic material to save important breeding options for the future. He said our efforts would be better spent protecting entire ecosystems rather than cherry-picking species to protect.
Cryopreserved specimens impose limits, as they are a snapshot of genetic material that is “frozen in time.” The narrow-leafed campion (Silene stenophylla), for example, were cryopreserved 32,000 years ago. Even in the face of modern climate change, these plants show us how this approach can stabilize biodiversity for thousands of years. Folgado was able to successfully excise cryopreserved shoot tips from long-term storage. He then brought them to maturity as stable plants, dramatically demonstrating the precision of this technique.
The Role of Botanical Gardens
Botanical gardens are essential partners in the global efforts to conserve plant diversity as seeds, including through cryopreservation. Armed with their vast collections of noncommercial but biologically important plants, these institutions are uniquely qualified to spearhead conservation efforts. As for cryopreservation, Folgado strongly feels that her work in this area depends on access to these species. Without magnolias from the Huntington, her research could not be extended.
She notes, “If I didn’t have magnolias at the Huntington, I could not work in helping to cryopreserve them.” The gardens serve as energetic archives and laboratories of botanical diversity. Scientists regularly utilize them as research labs to test and discover pioneering conservation methods. By building partnerships and forging collaborative relationships, botanical gardens can expand their reach and play a major role in our planet’s conservation.
All is not well in the land of plant conservation. In doing so, Hannah Landecker encourages us to consider the ethical implications of cryopreservation as more than just an ethical frontier. She observes, “What is it that brought us to this situation where our only solution is to strip something of all of its context and stick it in a freezer and hope for the best?” This point of view is a reminder that we must go beyond just keeping plant specimens in the conservation conversation.
Future Implications and Challenges
Plant conservation through cryopreservation holds great potential, but the path forward is not without obstacles. To date, scientists have cryopreserved a wide variety of plants, ranging from apples to wasabi to ferns and willow trees. Their end goal is bigger than just keeping them alive, and norms are changing. Folgado highlights that even a low germination rate can yield positive outcomes: “Even if you have 1 percent germination, that’s more than 0.”
The long odds that come with transplanting thawed-out plants and helping them flourish in new ecosystems are big obstacles. Mistake after mistake, science is proving cryopreservation to be a smart investment. It provides the opportunity for scientists to investigate how plants might adapt to rapidly changing climates, all the while preserving genetic diversity.
Chacko emphasizes the importance of preserving ecosystems. “My argument would be that there are all kinds of really important things that the rainforest does. Some of them serve humanity. Some are important for the maintenance of life on Earth.” This feeling contributes to the narrative that conservation efforts should be aimed at entire ecosystems, not just specific species.
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