THE ORCHID CRISIS
THE ORCHID
CRISIS
A RACE AGAINST LOCAL EXTINCTION
PHOTO: Jake Antonio Heaton, iNaturalist.
NPCA SUN COAST REGIONAL OFFICE
Everglades National Park has the highest orchid diversity of any park in the continental US. Despite this, orchid species have been disappearing from the park. The mule-ear orchid, with its brilliant yellow and red spots, is an orchid that scientists are racing to save.
Written by MELISSA ABDO NPCA Sun Coast Regional Director
Designed
by
AMY TIAN
NPCA Cartographer and GIS Analyst
ORCHIDS HAVE LONG CAPTIVATED
the imagination of botanists and nature enthusiasts alike. As one of the largest and most diverse plant families, orchids stand out even amidst the renowned treasure trove of biodiversity in the Everglades. With 38 known native orchid species, Everglades National Park is the park unit with the highest orchid diversity in the continental US. Tragically, many of these species are threatened. Some haven’t been observed in decades and are likely locally extinct in the park.
The loss of orchids in the Everglades is alarming. Beyond their alluring colors and designs, orchids have immense ecological and cultural significance. Many orchid species have evolved complex mutualistic relationships with specific pollinators due to their precisely shaped flowers or compelling fragrance. These niche pollination strategies create unique interaction webs within their ecosystems. This complexity has motivated close study and breakthrough understandings of plant ecology. Additionally, orchids have captivated human interest since time immemorial, inspiring countless artworks, books, and films.
Everglades National Park holds a special place in
conservation as the first national park established specifically to protect biodiversity. It is home to over 750 native plant species, nearly a quarter (25%) of which are considered imperiled or endangered. Protecting orchid species and other imperiled species is not just an isolated effort, but a fundamental part of the park’s mission.
While NPCA, the National Park Service, and many partners work to revive and protect the whole Greater Everglades Ecosystem, it is also important to dedicate
resources to species-specific conservation efforts that ensure every organism has a place in the restored landscape.
In neighboring Big Cypress National Preserve, NPCA and our allies secured a legal victory that will expedite the Endangered Species Act listing decision for the elusive and rare ghost orchid, Dendrophylax lindenii. Now, another orchid of the Greater Everglades ecosystem teeters on the brink of local extinction: the mule ear orchid, Trichocentrum undulatum
Orchids thrive in the Everglades due to its warm, humid climate, abundant rainfall, and nutrientrich swamps. Many orchids are epiphytic, meaning they grow on trees alongside the bromeliads pictured here (Tillandsia spp.).
Hong Liu, Florida International University.
PHOTO:
Ghost orchid Dendrophylax lindenii
The ghost orchid is one of the rarest flowers in North America.
A symbol of the Greater Everglades Ecosystem flora, this mysterious flower is pollinated at night by a giant sphinx moth.
The moth’s long proboscis perfectly reaches into the orchid’s flowers to gather nectar and transfer pollen.
Dingy-flowered epidendrum Epidendrum anceps
Butterfly orchid Encyclia tampensis
Grasspink orchid Calopogon tuberosus
PHOTOS: Joshua Hall, Jeff Stauffer, Rudy Wilms, John L. Clark, Arvind Balaraman, Logan Crees, Aidan Campos, iNaturalist.
JEWELS OF THE EVERGLADES
Everglades orchids come in all shapes, colors, and sizes. The dazzling orchids here are all found in the Greater Everglades Ecosystem and are pollinated by a variety of species, including bees, wasps, flies, butterflies, and even giant moths.
Mule ear orchid Trichocentrum undulatum
Dollar orchid Prosthechea boothiana
Clamshell orchid Prosthechea cochleata
Longclaw orchid Eltroplectris calcarata
Spring ladies’ tresses Spiranthes vernalis
THERE ARE FEWER THAN 50 ADULT MULE EAR ORCHIDS LEFT IN THE US
The mule ear orchid is a large and flamboyant tropical orchid native to South Florida and the Caribbean. With its dramatic yellow and red flowers and large size, this orchid drew attention from orchid harvesters at the turn of the last century and was overcollected before Everglades National Park was formally established.
Within the United States, mule ear orchids exist only in the southern Everglades—the only place the orchid can be found in North America. However, the mule ear orchid remains federally unprotected in the US after federal wildlife managers rejected a request for it to be listed under the Endangered Species Act in 2020. At this time, it is only afforded limited protection by virtue of being within Everglades National Park and state listed as endangered.
Recent research reveals a disturbing trend: the only known population of this orchid in Everglades National Park has declined by 90% over the past two decades (1). This species makes its home in the dynamic coastal buttonwood hammock of the southern Everglades, a resilient landscape where twisted trees and saltloving plants must adapt to rising seas and hurricanes.
Fewer than 50 adult mule ear orchid plants remain as of 2021, a stark reminder of the urgent conservation efforts needed to prevent this magnificent orchid from disappearing entirely from Florida—and the United States.
The Everglades mule ear orchids are hanging by a thread and burdened with a list of threats. Historically, unregulated collection wiped out its populations and widespread drainage dried its habitat. Additionally, predation by native herbivores, infestations by invasive insects, and climate change is broadly degrading their habitat through hurricanes and sea level rise.
Beyond these known threats, there are also unknown factors contributing to the sharp decline of mule ear orchids that scientists are racing to understand.
Citation (1) Borrero H, Alvarez JC, Prieto RO, and Liu H (2023) Comparisons of habitat types and host tree species across a threatened Caribbean orchid’s core and edge distribution. Journal of Tropical Ecology 38, 134–150
PHOTO: Russ Jones, iNaturalist.
SCIENCE COLLABORATIONS IN OTHER NATIONAL PARKS
Whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis) is a keystone species in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. It is threatened by invasive species, climate change, and fire. The NPS Greater Yellowstone Inventory and Monitoring Network is an interagency team of scientists that track whitebark pine health. Here they are examining a whitebark pine tree for evidence of white pine blister rust, a non-native fungus killing the trees. The clusters of brown needles indicate potential infection. PHOTO: National Park Service.
IT WILL TAKE COMMITTED COLLABORATION
Across the country, parks are grappling with the difficult task of conserving species as climate change alters their habitats and ecosystems. These challenges require creative, science-driven solutions, making collaborations between park staff, researchers, and conservationists more vital than ever.
For example, at Yellowstone National Park, scientists are testing new strategies to protect the dwindling whitebark pine population, while in the Sierra Nevada, efforts are underway to safeguard the endangered Sierra Nevada yellow-legged frog from the impacts of climate change.
However, many parks lack the resources or scientific capacity to implement conservation methods that require specialized expertise, underscoring the importance of academic and NGO partnerships.
THE LIU LAB FINDS SOLUTIONS
That’s where Dr. Hong Liu, an ecologist and professor at Florida International University (FIU), along with her students are taking action. The Liu lab is studying conservation methods to boost long-term survival for mule ear orchids in the wild. NPCA’s Sun Coast Region is partnering with FIU to get students involved in this initiative, strengthening the bridge between conservation science and advocacy.
Orchid conservation is complex and requires a lot of work. For rare orchids like the Everglades mule ear orchid, it’s important to protect their genetic diversity which helps them survive and adapt to changes in their environment. With less than 50 adult mule ear orchids left, it is best practice to duplicate and safeguard the wild population’s genetic diversity in a lab setting as soon as possible. Dr. Liu’s team is innovating two methods to do this, which can buy time for future conservation measures like reintroduction.
The first method involves cloning the orchids in a lab setting using modern tissue culture techniques. This would safely capture the genetic diversity of the wild orchid population with minimal human disturbance. Before they can collect samples from the park, the team is testing this process using the Caribbean mule ear orchid population. Currently, they are refining a cloning protocol shown on the next two pages that aims to yield a high success rate for cloning the mule ear orchid in a lab. Then, the team would need a permit from Everglades park staff to collect small plant tissue samples from wild orchids in the park. Finally, the team would clone the Everglades mule ear orchid samples using the protocol to preserve its genetic diversity and protect it in a greenhouse.
The second method involves hand-pollinating the orchids in the park to produce seeds. A portion of the seeds would be grown in the safety of a lab to form a living conservation collection and the remaining seeds to be stored for future use. With this method, the team must visit Everglades National Park multiple times, searching through thick swamp forests for the rare flowering plants. Since these orchids don’t bloom every year, this method often takes multiple years. Initially, this approach wasn’t approved by the National Park Service due to concerns of human interference, but the team may revisit this option if
the cloning method is not successful.
Dr. Liu’s team needs approval from Everglades National Park staff to implement both these conservation methods on the mule ear orchid. The park staff would likely need to partner with one or two botanic gardens that can host the orchid collection. The team has already identified three potential botanic gardens, including joint efforts with Dr. Jason Downing of Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, but they still need the park’s permission to move forward. This collaboration is crucial for
improving the species’ chances of survival, especially as climate change threatens its future. By allowing this research process, the Everglades National Park would take an important step in protecting its endangered orchids.
Dr. Liu and her field team of students from Florida International University.
PHOTO: Hong Liu.
INNOVATIVE ORCHID CONSERVATION
To help safeguard the mule ear orchid population, the best practice is to duplicate the wild population’s genetic diversity as soon as possible.
Dr. Liu’s team is prioritizing the cloning method in a laboratory first to minimize human disturbance in the park. These cloned orchids will help with population augmentation, which means increasing the number of orchids in the population through captive breeding and reintroduction into the wild. Once the team develops a successful cloning protocol, the following steps will be followed.
1. COLLECT TISSUE SAMPLES FROM THE FIELD
Cloning the genetic diversity of wild Everglades mule ear orchids requires going into Everglades National Park one time to collect small plant tissue samples. This step requires a permit from Everglades park staff to move forward.
2. FIND BEST TISSUE STERILIZATION METHOD
Collected plant samples will be placed in a tube filled with various concentrations of bleach. This is to kill all fungal or bacterial contaminants.
3. FIND BEST RECIPE FOR TISSUE GROWTH
Dr. Liu’s team needs to experiment with agar recipes with different nutrients and growth hormones to grow the tissue. Here, the agar is an inky black because they used charcoal based on recipes from other scientists.
Infographic: Amy Tian, NPCA.
Photo: Luis, Florida International University.
Dr. Liu doing fieldwork
WHAT IT TAKES
Growing orchids is a tedious, and intensive task that can take approximately 2.5 years or more. The team is currently finding the best cloning protocol using the Carribean mule ear population. After the protocol shows a high cloning success rate, the team needs a permit from Everglades park staff to collect tissue samples from wild orchids one time only.
4. MULTIPLY TISSUE
The team checks under a microscope if the plant tissue shows growth. Then, the team will replicate the previous steps to multiply the number of plants being grown by placing them under specific lighting conditions.
If the cloning method does not yield a high success rate, then they will have to rely on a hand pollination method to obtain orchid seeds which will also require collaboration with park staff.
5. SEEDLING FORMATION 6. ACCLIMATE SEEDLINGS
A seedling has grown from the agar and is ready to be exposed to real world conditions in a greenhouse setting. If needed, the team puts the tissue onto another growth medium to become seedlings.
The seedlings are transferred from the jar to a greenhouse. The plants need time to acclimate and grow on their own without artificial nutrients. Dr. Liu’s team has already identified three potential botanic gardens to house the orchid collection. The team would need permission from Everglades park staff to house a collection in a greenhouse.
Science News Fall 2024
Product of NPCA’s Conservation Programs.
Produced by: Conservation Science Ryan Valdez, Nik Moy, and Amy Tian
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