Conservation ecology of <i>Primula sieboldii</i> : Synthesis of information toward the prediction of the genetic/demographic fate of a population

Abstract

Abstract In an age of deepening biodiversity crisis, plant species biological studies integrating ecological and genetic approaches, especially exhaustive studies with a model plant species, are urgently needed for both assessing the present status and implementing effective conservation measures, as a comprehensive understanding of demographic/genetic interactions involved in the vicious cycle of plant population extinction is a prerequisite for any precise prediction regarding plant conservation. In this article, we summarize the major contributions to conservation ecological studies on a heterostylous clonal herb Primula sieboldii, focusing on gene flow and reproductive success, which are dependent on the life‐history traits of the species and biological interactions with its effective pollinators, long‐tongued bumblebees.