Spaldings catchfly (silene spaldingii) is a federally threatened plant endemic to the pacific northwest

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has awarded a 3-year, $189,730 Cooperative Agreement to Washington State University under the Endangered Species Recovery Implementation program (CFDA 15.657). The goal of this project is to identify the pollinators of the federally threatened Spalding's catchfly plant and assess the impact of competing nonnative plant species in its habitat. Over the 2024-2026 period, WSU will develop plant-pollinator visitation networks, conduct targeted pollinator surveys, and assess the competitive effects of invasive plants on Spalding's catchfly. The research findings will be used by Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge and Fairchild Air Force Base to develop targeted invasive species management and habitat restoration plans to support recovery of this threatened plant species and its pollinators.

There are only 139 known occurrences throughout its range, which includes parts of washington, montana, idaho, oregon, and british columbia. Spaldings catchfly depends on native grassland habitat which is declining throughout the region from conversion to agriculture and the invasion of competitive nonnative species. Nonnative invasive plants are considered one of the greatest threats to spaldings catchfly populations as they can compete for resources, alter ecosystem dynamics and may even alter pollinator behavior. For example, a previously recorded pollinator of spaldings catchfly, bombus fervidus, has been observed to visit both spaldings catchfly and ST. Johns-wort (a nonnative species) when both species were present. This suggests that the presence of specific nonnative species in spaldings catchfly habitat may negatively impact reproduction and impede species recovery. Understanding this dynamic is imperative because successful pollination is vital to spaldings catchfly recovery.although several pollinators have been observed visiting spaldings catchfly, the pollinator community associated with this plant is largely unstudied. In order to successfully manage habitat for spalding S catchfly and its pollinators at each location, we must identify which pollinators are pollinating spaldings catchfly and if which nonnative plant species are competing for these pollinators in these varied habitat types. Only then can we develop invasive species management plans that effectively target invasive species posing the greatest threat to spaldings catchfly for pollinator resources and restore habitat for both spaldings catchfly and its pollinators. The goal of this project is to fund a graduate student researcher to identify spaldings catchfly pollinators and nonnative plant competitors at turnbull NWR and fairchild AFB. This will be accomplished through a 3-year (2024-2026) collaboration between turnbull and central WA NWR(C)S, fairchild AFB, and the department of entomology at washington state university (WSU) resulting in a thesis publication. In order to identify the insect species involved in spaldings catchfly pollination, WSU will develop plant-pollinator visitation networks detailing plant usage by individual pollinator species and carry out a targeted survey of the pollinating insects of spaldings catchfly using observation and edna metabarcoding. The proposed project will assess the competitive effects of nonnative plants and identify the degree to which nonnative plants impede spaldings catchfly pollination. If competing nonnative plants are identified, turnbull NWR and fairchild AFB will develop targeted invasive species management and restoration plans for each spalding S catchfly population. This will increase the likelihood of successfully removing detrimental invasive species from spaldings catchfly populations and ensure that treatments used are not deleterious to spaldings catchfly or other native species.