Source: The Hindu

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Context

• Encephalartos woodii, discovered in 1895, is a critically endangered cycad species with only male specimens remaining, leading to an existential crisis due to the lack of natural reproduction.
• Advanced technologies such as remote sensing and AI are being employed to search for a female E. woodii in Ngoye Forest to enable sexual reproduction and genetic diversity.

Details

Key Points

• Encephalartos woodii, discovered by botanist John Medley Wood in 1895, is a critically endangered species with only male clones existing.
• woodii belongs to the cycad family, ancient plants dating back 300 million years to the Carboniferous period.
• The species is extinct in the wild, with the last known wild specimen removed for safekeeping in 1916 and propagated in botanical gardens.
• Cycads, including E. woodii, are gymnosperms and use cones for reproduction, but all known E. woodii plants are male, preventing natural reproduction.
• The Ngoye Forest in South Africa is being surveyed using drones and AI to find a female E. woodii, covering 195 acres in recent surveys.
• Cycads are the most endangered living organisms due to their slow growth, habitat loss, and poaching, with some specimens fetching exorbitant prices.
• Finding a female E. woodii would enable sexual reproduction and increase genetic diversity, critical for the species' survival.
• The Great Famine in Ireland and the Panama disease in bananas illustrate the vulnerability of clonal plants to environmental changes and diseases.

Encephalartos woodii (E. woodii) Features:

• Evolutionary Biology:
  • woodii represents an ancient lineage, surviving multiple mass extinctions and outlasting dinosaurs.
• Conservation Efforts:
  • The use of AI and drones to locate a female E. woodii highlights innovative conservation strategies.
• Biodiversity and Ecosystems:
  • woodii's plight underscores the importance of genetic diversity for species resilience against environmental changes and diseases.
• Historical Botanical Expeditions:
  • Discovery by John Medley Wood and subsequent conservation efforts reflect historical and ongoing botanical research.
• Endangered Species Protection:
  • woodii is protected under stringent measures due to its rarity, emphasizing the need for legal and practical conservation frameworks.

Ngoye Forest, South Africa:

• The location where E. woodii was discovered and where current searches for a female are focused.

Sources:

The Hindu

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