LTREB: Population Growth and Viability of American Ginseng (Panax quinquefolius L.)

西洋参是一种分布广泛但不常见的东部落叶林下草本植物。人参是美国最重要的野生药用植物，每年为成千上万的阿巴拉契亚农村挖掘者带来数百万美元的额外收入。野生收获满足了亚洲市场对该植物广谱草药特性的需求。最近的医学研究表明，人参可以治疗糖尿病，降低肥胖，增强免疫系统。《濒危野生动植物种国际贸易公约》（CITES）附录II要求保护天然人参种群，但需要详细的人口统计数据才能将该物种的管理置于坚实的科学基础之上。拟议的LTREB项目将对30个地理分布的人参种群进行长期、详细的普查和人口统计学建模，总计超过4000人。该项目将为环境扰动如何影响野生人参种群的长期预后提供重要信息。该分析将与对人参保护生物学有浓厚兴趣的三个利益相关者群体分享：其他科学家、管理人员/决策者和公众。将为一名博士生设立保护奖学金，对他们进行数据管理、人口矩阵建模和推广方面的培训。第二名研究生和两名本科生实习生将获得夏季支持，以协助该项目。

American ginseng is a widespread but uncommon understory herb of the eastern deciduous forest. Ginseng is America's premier wild harvested medicinal plant species, annually worth millions of dollars in supplemental income to thousands of rural Appalachian diggers. The wild harvest supplies Asian market demand for the plant's putative broad-spectrum herbal properties. Recent medical research suggests that ginseng may treat diabetes, lower obesity, and boost the immune system. Conservation of natural ginseng populations is mandated by its listing on the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) Appendix II, however detailed demographic data are needed to place management of the species on solid scientific ground. The proposed LTREB project will extend long-term, detailed censusing and demographic modeling of 30 geographically distributed populations of ginseng containing an aggregate of more than 4000 individuals. This project will provide crucial information about how perturbations in the environment affect the long-term prognosis for wild ginseng populations. This analysis will be shared with three stakeholder groups with strong interests in ginseng conservation biology: other scientists, managers/policymakers, and the general public. A conservation fellowship will be created for a Ph.D. student to train them in data curation, population matrix modeling, and outreach. A second graduate student and two undergraduate interns will receive summer support to assist with the project.