Recovery of the Federally Threatened White Fringeless Orchid (Platanthera integrilabia) on the Daniel Boone National Forest in Kentucky

The primary applicant organization, OKNP, has been partnering with USFWS on white fringeless orchid restoration and monitoring through the state’s Section 6 rare plant program for several decades. OKNP is the state’s natural areas and natural heritage program and we monitor and manage rare habitats and endangered species in over 100 natural areas across the state. Specific to WFO, OKNP has conducted numerous status surveys of WFO in Kentucky since 1994, surveyed for new populations of WFO, has worked on protection and acquisition efforts The white fringeless orchid (Platanthera integrilabia), known from here onward as WFO, is a terrestrial orchid species native to the southeastern United States. Federally listed as Threatened by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, WFO was at one time known to occur in sizeable populations from Alabama as far north as Kentucky, and ranging as far east as North Carolina. In recent years many of these populations have declined or have been extirpated completely; possibly in part to impacts such as habitat loss due to development, changing forest management practices and absence of natural disturbance. While efforts to restore and revitalize WFO are ongoing, current studies are focused upon light manipulations, exclusion of herbivory pressure and site enhancement. Like the vast majority of orchid species, WFO relies upon a mycorrhizal fungal symbiont (Tulasnella inquilina) during a portion of its development. Yet, prior studies have focused on a purely morphological analysis of the symbiont, and have neglected to perform an in-depth assessment of the fungus using molecular techniques. To further improve restoration efforts of WFO, a more complete understanding of the relationship between the orchid and its fungal symbiont is essential. The herein proposed research will attempt to: elucidate the molecular id of the fungal symbiont, analyze the nature of the relationship between white fringeless orchid and its fungal symbiont, and develop detection strategies utilizing eDNA techniques to monitor for the presence of the fungal symbiont at current and potential restoration sites.