A Pleistocene Clone of Palmer's Oak Persisting in Southern California

May, Michael R.; Provance, Mitchell C; Sanders, Andrew C.; Ellstrand, Norman C.; Ross‐Ibarra, Jeffrey

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0008346

Cited by 26 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…Clonal growth, often combined with longevity [61], can greatly favor the persistence of plants in stressful environments or when drastic environmental conditions prevent the occurrence of sexual reproduction [62]–[67]. During several field campaigns, we found very little or no evidence of sexual reproduction and fructification in M. nivellei (F. Médail, personal observations), in sharp contrast with M. communis which produces many berries throughout its Mediterranean range.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 65%

Surviving in Mountain Climate Refugia: New Insights from the Genetic Diversity and Structure of the Relict Shrub Myrtus nivellei (Myrtaceae) in the Sahara Desert

et al. 2013

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The identification of past glacial refugia has become a key topic for conservation under environmental change, since they contribute importantly to shaping current patterns of biodiversity. However, little attention has been paid so far to interglacial refugia despite their key role for the survival of relict species currently occurring in climate refugia. Here, we focus on the genetic consequences of range contraction on the relict populations of the evergreen shrub Myrtus nivellei, endemic in the Saharan mountains since at least the end of the last Green Sahara period, around 5.5 ka B.P. Multilocus genotypes (nuclear microsatellites and AFLP) were obtained from 215 individuals collected from 23 wadis (temporary rivers) in the three main mountain ranges in southern Algeria (the Hoggar, Tassili n’Ajjer and Tassili n’Immidir ranges). Identical genotypes were found in several plants growing far apart within the same wadis, a pattern taken as evidence of clonality. Multivariate analyses and Bayesian clustering revealed that genetic diversity was mainly structured among the mountain ranges, while low isolation by distance was observed within each mountain range. The range contraction induced by the last episode of aridification has likely increased the genetic isolation of the populations of M. nivellei, without greatly affecting the genetic diversity of the species as a whole. The pattern of genetic diversity observed here suggests that high connectivity may have prevailed during humid periods, which is consistent with recent paleoenvironmental reconstructions.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 65%

Surviving in Mountain Climate Refugia: New Insights from the Genetic Diversity and Structure of the Relict Shrub Myrtus nivellei (Myrtaceae) in the Sahara Desert

et al. 2013

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“…Outside Populus spp., age estimates of particularly old clones are more frequent: May et al . () claimed an age in excess of 13 000 years for a Quercus palmeri clone living in Southern California and clones of the bushes Lomatia tasmanica and Larrea tridentata were estimated to be 43 600 and 11 700 years old, respectively (Vasek ; Lynch et al . ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Causes and consequences of large clonal assemblies in a poplar hybrid zone

et al. 2016

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Asexual reproduction is a common and fundamental mode of reproduction in plants.Although persistence in adverse conditions underlies most known cases of clonal dominance, proximal genetic drivers remain unclear, in particular for populations dominated by a few large clones. In this paper, we studied a clonal population of the riparian tree Populus alba in the Douro river basin (northwestern Iberian Peninsula) where it hybridizes with P. tremula, a species that grows in highly contrasted ecological conditions. We used 73 nuclear microsatellites to test whether genomic background (species ancestry) is a relevant cause of clonal success, and to assess the evolutionary consequences of clonal dominance by a few genets. Additional Genotyping-by-Sequencing (GBS) data were produced to estimate the age of the largest clones. We found that a few ancient (over a few thousand years old) and widespread genets dominate the population, both in terms of clone size and number of sexual offspring produced. Interestingly, large clones possessed two genomic regions introgressed from P. tremula, which may have favored their spread under stressful environmental conditions. At the population level, the spread of large genets was Accepted ArticleThis article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.accompanied by an overall ancient (>0.1 Myr) but soft decline of effective population size.Despite this decrease, and the high clonality and dominance of sexual reproduction by large clones, the Douro hybrid zone still displays considerable genetic diversity and low inbreeding. This suggests that, even in extreme cases as in the Douro, asexual and sexual dominance of a few large, geographically-extended individuals does not threaten population survival.

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“…The predominance of clonal growth in peripheral populations has been described in several other species distributed across wide environmental gradients (e.g. Vaillancourt et al, 2001;Johannesson & Andre, 2006;Beatty et al, 2008;May et al, 2009). Compared with Gove, the Weipa area (which represents the core distribution of E. pusillum ms.) experiences significantly higher rainfall in its wettest quarter (paired t-test P = 0.01) and has an even more marked pattern of precipitation seasonality with a slightly drier dry season.…”

Section: The Clonal Strategy: Surviving In Marginal Habitatmentioning

confidence: 99%

Enhancing the survival and expansion potential of a founder population through clonality

Merwe

Spain²,

Rossetto

2010

New Phytologist

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Summary• Although founder populations often have low diversity, they can potentially serve as stepping stones for further colonization, as refugia during nonoptimal times and as a source of specialized adaptive potential. The demonstration of such potential within natural plant populations has proven to be particularly difficult. Our investigation into a geographically disjunct population of a heterostylous shrub, Erythroxylum pusillum, aims to explore the evolutionary and ecological consequences of being an isolated founder population.• Microsatellite-based analyses were used to find evidence for, and trace the origins of, a severe founder effect. Molecular and spatial evidence was used to quantify clonality and to discover proof of somaclonal mutations.• We describe the unprecedented case of an isolated population that persisted through historical environmental fluctuations and in marginal habitat through vegetative spread, and is counteracting the lack of sexual recombination and gene flow through somatic mutation.• Our findings advance our understanding of how founder populations survive, differentiate and evolve. They also have implications for how conservation agencies should perceive and manage previously considered 'dead-end' populations.

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A Pleistocene Clone of Palmer's Oak Persisting in Southern California

Cited by 26 publications

References 22 publications

Surviving in Mountain Climate Refugia: New Insights from the Genetic Diversity and Structure of the Relict Shrub Myrtus nivellei (Myrtaceae) in the Sahara Desert

Surviving in Mountain Climate Refugia: New Insights from the Genetic Diversity and Structure of the Relict Shrub Myrtus nivellei (Myrtaceae) in the Sahara Desert

Causes and consequences of large clonal assemblies in a poplar hybrid zone

Enhancing the survival and expansion potential of a founder population through clonality

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