Conservation biology of the last Italian population of Cistus laurifolius (Cistaceae): demographic structure, reproductive success and population genetics

Abstract

Isolated populations are usually subject to low fitness and reduced genetic diversity, both of which may negatively affect their survival and adaptive potential. Hence, these issues cannot be neglected when planning conservation actions for isolated populations. The Italian population of Cistus laurifolius subsp. laurifolius is extremely isolated. Furthermore, it is affected by fragmentation, being constituted by a single larger subpopulation, surrounded by three much smaller subpopulations, a few hundred metres to a few kilometres apart. In order to fill gaps in demographic and genetic knowledge concerning the Italian population, its area of occupancy, size, age-stage structure and phenology were investigated and its reproductive fitness, pollination strategies and genetic variability were assessed. The population was inferred as fully xenogamous and showed good reproductive performance. Despite this, its genetic variability was low and it showed relatively high levels of inbreeding depression (F IS ), seemingly not affected by sub-population size. These results suggest that the Italian population recently suffered fragmentation and reduction in size. The low genetic diversity observed could be explained by the high percentage of mature individuals found in the population, possibly established before fragmentation. For these reasons, the Italian population of C. laurifolius subsp. laurifolius should be monitored and concrete actions aimed at its conservation planned.

Effects of Different Media and Their Strengths in In Vitro Culture of Three Different Cistus creticus L. Populations and Their Genetic Assessment Using Simple Sequence Repeat Molecular Markers

“…Allele peaks were detected within the size range reported in the literature [28,29]. The most diverse loci were cislau1-1 followed by cislau12-1, presenting 10 and 8 alleles, respectively, which were findings that were comparable to the results of Astuti et al [28] and Bertolasi et al [29].…”

“…Five microsatellite loci developed by Astuti et al [28] for Cistus laurifolius L. and had been successfully tested for their ability to amplify C. albidus DNA samples according to Bertolasi et al [29] were used to analyze the genetic population structure of the three C. creticus L. populations. The sequences and traits of the SSR markers are presented in Table 1.…”

Is population genetic structure of vascular plants shaped more by ecological or geographic factors? A study case on the Mediterranean endemic Centaurea filiformis (Asteraceae)

“…The patterns of genetic variation found with SSR analysis are best explained by ecological histories and not by the present habitat in this genus as well (Furches et al 2013). Last, in a study very similar in scope to our work, it was found that the only remaining Italian population of Cistus laurifolius (laurel-leaved rock rose) derives its low genetic variation and high inbreeding from its narrow ecological requirements and recent habitat fragmentation (Astuti et al 2017).…”

“…Last, in a study very similar in scope to our work, it was found that the only remaining Italian population of Cistus laurifolius (laurel‐leaved rock rose) derives its low genetic variation and high inbreeding from its narrow ecological requirements and recent habitat fragmentation (Astuti et al . ).…”

Strong conservatism of floral morphology during the rapid diversification of the genus Helianthemum

“…We obtained the anthers from the 673 buds instead from open flowers to ensure that anthers had not dehisced and pollen had not been dispersed. For effective pollen release, anthers were pricked with a sterile needle, then sonicated for 40 min at 42 kHz using a Cole-Parmer 8890 Ultrasonic Bath (Cole-Parmer, Vernon Hills, IL, USA; Astuti et al, 2017). Then, we counted the pollen grains in 500-μL subsamples using a particle counter (Coulter Multisizer 3, Beckman Coulter, Fullerton, CA, USA).…”