Determinants of Genetic Structure in a Highly Heterogeneous Landscape in Southwest China

Abstract

Intra-specific genetic diversity is a fundamental component of biodiversity, and is key to species adaptation and persistence. However, significant knowledge gaps still exist in our understanding of the patterns of genetic diversity and their key determinants. Most previous investigations mainly utilized single-species and/or a limited number of explanatory variables; so here we mapped the patterns of plastid genetic diversity within 15 plant species, and explored the key determinants shaping these patterns using a wide range of variables. Population-level cpDNA sequence data for 15 plant species from the Longitudinal Range Gorge Region (LRGR), southwest China, were retrieved from literature and used to estimate haplotype diversity (HD) and population pairwise genetic differentiation (FST) indices. Genetic diversity and divergence landscape surfaces were then generated based on the HD and FST, respectively, to clarify the patterns of genetic structure in the region. Subsequently, we analyzed the relationships between plastid genetic diversity and 16 explanatory variables (classified as anthropogenic, climatic, and topographic). We found that the highest genetic diversity occurred in the Yulong Mountain region, with a significant proportion (~74.81%) of the high diversity land area being located outside of protected areas. The highest genetic divergence was observed approximately along the 25°N latitudinal line, with notable peaks in the western and eastern edges of the LRGR. Genetic diversity (HD) was weakly but significantly positively correlated with both Latitude (lat) and Annual Mean Wet Day Frequency (wet), yet significantly negatively correlated with all of Longitude (long), Annual Mean Cloud Cover Percent (cld), Annual Mean Anthropogenic Flux (ahf), and Human Footprint Index (hfp). A combination of climatic, topographic, and anthropogenic factors explained a significant proportion (78%) of genetic variation, with topographic factors (lat and long) being the best predictors. Our analysis identified areas of high genetic diversity (genetic diversity “hotspots”) and divergence in the region, and these should be prioritized for conservation. This study contributes to a better understanding of the features that shape the distribution of plastid genetic diversity in the LRGR and thus would inform conservation management efforts in this species-rich, but vulnerable region.

Characterization of the complete chloroplast genome assembly of Amorphophallus yunnanensis Engler, Pflanzenr (Araceae) from southwestern China

“… 2013 ; Wambulwa et al. 2022 ) and is rich in Amorphophallus diversity, with 17 species found in this region (Li and Hetterscheid 2010 ). Amorphophallus yunnanensis Engler, Pflanzenr 1911 is naturally distributed across southwestern China (Yunnan, Guizhou, and Guangxi provinces) and adjacent areas of some Southeast Asian countries (Li and Hetterscheid 2010 ).…”

Genomic insights into differentiation and adaptation of Amorphophallus yunnanensis in the mountainous region of Southwest China

“…Finding forces that influence the genetic variation of species across the geographical landscape is the ultimate destination of genetic diversity research (Wambulwa et al., 2022 ). The fixation index expresses the degree of genetic differentiation, and a value of >0.25 is usually considered as a high genetic differentiation level (Wright, 1965 ).…”

“…Several biogeographic boundaries have been proposed for southwest China, which acted as barriers to species dispersal (Ju et al., 2018 ; Xu et al., 2020 ). And mountain building has been described as a cause of the genetic differentiation within many plant species in Southwest China (Deng et al., 2020 ; Wambulwa et al., 2022 ). In this study, mountains of the Yunnan‐Guizhou Plateau potentially created geographic isolation between populations in these two plateaus.…”

“…The mountainous region of Southwest China is known for its complicated geography causing extreme spatial isolation of resident organisms (Wambulwa et al., 2022 ; Wang et al., 2013 ). Due to the diverse topography and ecology, this region has long been regarded as a global hotspot of biodiversity (López‐Pujol et al., 2011 ).…”