Genetic diversity and population history of the Killarney fern,<i>Vandenboschia speciosa</i>(Hymenophyllaceae), at its southern distribution limit in continental Europe

Schuler, Samira Ben-Menni; García-López, M. del Carmen; López-Flores, Inmaculada; Nieto‐Lugilde, Marta; Suárez‐Santiago, Víctor N.

doi:10.1111/boj.12492

Cited by 3 publications

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“…Estimates of genetic diversity within populations of a rare species can be compared to those of closely related species with similar life history characteristics to identify populations that have experienced losses in genetic diversity through processes associated with small population size and fragmentation, such as inbreeding, genetic drift, and genetic bottlenecks [ 9 – 11 ]; such information may therefore indicate populations in need of intensive conservation efforts to halt the loss of genetic diversity. Analyses to understand genetic structure and the partitioning of genetic diversity within and among populations can be used to help understand life history attributes (such as mating systems and breeding systems [ 12 – 20 ]), migration and habitat connectivity [ 21 – 25 ], and the demographic history of populations [ 26 – 28 ]. Using both neutral markers and those under selection, genetic data can be used to delineate conservation units [ 29 , 30 ], which can help facilitate the design of strategies to most effectively conserve the genetic diversity of a rare species in the face of limited resources [ 31 , 32 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Conservation genetics of the threatened plant species Physaria filiformis (Missouri bladderpod) reveals strong genetic structure and a possible cryptic species

et al. 2021

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Understanding genetic diversity and structure in a rare species is critical for prioritizing both in situ and ex situ conservation efforts. One such rare species is Physaria filiformis (Brassicaceae), a threatened, winter annual plant species. The species has a naturally fragmented distribution, occupying three different soil types spread across four disjunct geographical locations in Missouri and Arkansas. The goals of this study were to understand: (1) whether factors associated with fragmentation and small population size (i.e., inbreeding, genetic drift or genetic bottlenecks) have reduced levels of genetic diversity, (2) how genetic variation is structured and which factors have influenced genetic structure, and (3) how much extant genetic variation of P. filiformis is currently publicly protected and the implications for the development of conservation strategies to protect its genetic diversity. Using 16 microsatellite markers, we genotyped individuals from 20 populations of P. filiformis from across its geographical range and one population of Physaria gracilis for comparison and analyzed genetic diversity and structure. Populations of P. filiformis showed comparable levels of genetic diversity to its congener, except a single population in northwest Arkansas showed evidence of a genetic bottleneck and two populations in the Ouachita Mountains of Arkansas showed lower genetic variation, consistent with genetic drift. Populations showed isolation by distance, indicating that migration is geographically limited, and analyses of genetic structure grouped individuals into seven geographically structured genetic clusters, with geographic location/spatial separation showing a strong influence on genetic structure. At least one population is protected for all genetic clusters except one in north-central Arkansas, which should therefore be prioritized for protection. Populations in the Ouachita Mountains were genetically divergent from the rest of P. filiformis; future morphological analyses are needed to identify whether it merits recognition as a new, extremely rare species.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Conservation genetics of the threatened plant species Physaria filiformis (Missouri bladderpod) reveals strong genetic structure and a possible cryptic species

et al. 2021

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“…The southern lineage could have survived the glacial period along the entire Atlantic coastal strip of the Iberian Peninsula ( Figure 5 C) and may have separated from the Cantabrian Cornice during the post-glacial period ( Figure 5 B), when the Mediterranean climate returned along the entire western and southern Iberian coast. This would have left the species in small, favourable climatic pockets, as occurs at present, under the effect of strong genetic drift [ 29 ]. Rumsey et al [ 41 ] has also suggested this coastal connection and its fragmentation by a process of aridification.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In plant phylogeography, most studies examine the effects of Pleistocene glaciations on the plant distributions, while few studies address the history of ancient taxa, such as that of the lauroid forest, or analyse the processes that shaped their distribution patterns (e.g., [ 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 ]). Few phylogeographical studies on ferns are available (e.g., [ 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 ]) and, to date, only one phylogeographical study, including a time-calibrated phylogeny, has addressed the biogeographical history of a presumed Tertiary fern species [ 30 ]. Many European ferns are considered Tertiary relicts, localized in shelters having similar microclimatic conditions to those of that time, as those found along the European Atlantic Coast and Macaronesia [ 5 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Thus far, only an approximation has been made to the phylogeographical study of V. speciosa , using PCR-RFLPs [ 42 ], and a few studies geographically limited on genetic diversity using allozymes [ 37 , 40 , 41 ] and microsatellites [ 29 ]. Briefly, Rumsey et al [ 42 ] reported the presence of two chloroplast haplotypes (differing in only one change)—one being a haplotype distributed in the south of the distribution range (Iberian Peninsula, Italy, Madeira, and the Canary Islands) and the other one in the north (Azores, Central and Northern Europe)—and the existence of mixed populations in the European Atlantic coast (Britain, Ireland, and NW France).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The low diversity observed, practically null at the intrapopulation level, in the Scottish and Central European populations led the authors to propose the post-glacial recolonization of these areas; while, due to their greater diversity, the Andalusian and Italian localities were considered refuge areas [ 41 ]. Ben-Menni Schuler et al [ 29 ] analysed, with microsatellites, the genetic diversity of the Andalusian sporophyte populations, and found a moderate genetic diversity at the regional scale but low diversity at the population level. These authors suggested that the ancestral gene flow and genetic drift have played a key role in shaping the genetic structure of Andalusian V. speciosa populations.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Phylogeographical Analyses of a Relict Fern of Palaeotropical Flora (Vandenboschia speciosa): Distribution and Diversity Model in Relation to the Geological and Climate Events of the Late Miocene and Early Pliocene

Schuler

Hamza

Blanca

et al. 2022

Plants

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Fern phylogeographic studies have mostly focused on the influence of the Pleistocene climate on fern distributions and the prevalence of long-distance dispersal. The effect of pre-Pleistocene events on the distributions of fern species is largely unexplored. Here, we elucidate a hypothetical scenario for the evolutionary history of Vandenboschia speciosa, hypothesised to be of Tertiary palaeotropical flora with a peculiar perennial gametophyte. We sequenced 40 populations across the species range in one plastid region and two variants of the nuclear gapCp gene and conducted time-calibrated phylogenetic, phylogeographical, and species distribution modelling analyses. Vandenboschia speciosa is an allopolyploid and had a Tertiary origin. Late Miocene aridification possibly caused the long persistence in independent refugia on the Eurosiberian Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts, with the independent evolution of gene pools resulting in two evolutionary units. The Cantabrian Cornice, a major refugium, could also be a secondary contact zone during Quaternary glacial cycles. Central European populations resulted from multiple post-glacial, long-distance dispersals. Vandenboschia speciosa reached Macaronesia during the Pliocene–Pleistocene, with a phylogeographical link between the Canary Islands, Madeira, and southern Iberia, and between the Azores and northwestern Europe. Our results support the idea that the geological and climate events of the Late Miocene/Early Pliocene shifted Tertiary fern distribution patterns in Europe.

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Genetic Diversity and Phylogeography of the Relict Tree Fern Culcita macrocarpa: Influence of Clonality and Breeding System on Genetic Variation

Suárez-Santiago,

Provan,

Romero-García

et al. 2024

Plants

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The tree fern Culcita macrocarpa, a threatened Iberian–Macaronesian endemism, represents the sole European species of the order Cyatheales. Considered a Tertiary relict of European Palaeotropical flora, its evolutionary history and genetic diversity, potentially influenced by presumed high clonal propagation, remain largely unknown. This study elucidates the phylogeographic history of C. macrocarpa, assessing the impact of vegetative reproduction on population dynamics and genetic variability. We provide genetic data from eight newly identified nuclear microsatellite loci and one plastid DNA region for 17 populations spanning the species’ range, together with species distribution modeling data. Microsatellites reveal pervasive clonality in C. macrocarpa, which has varied among populations. We assess the impact of clonality on genetic diversity and evaluate how estimates of intra-population genetic diversity indices and genetic structuring are affected by the chosen definition of “individual” (focusing exclusively on genetically distinct individuals, genets, as opposed to considering all independent clonal replicates, ramets). We identify two main population groups, one in the northern Iberian Peninsula and the other in the Macaronesian archipelagos and southern Iberian Peninsula. Within each group, we found relict populations (in the Azores and the Cantabrian Cornice) as well as recent originated populations. This population structure suggests colonization dynamics in which recent populations originated from one or a few genets of relict populations and became established through intra-gametophytic self-fertilization and vegetative expansion. DAPC analysis facilitated the identification of alleles that most significantly contributed to the observed population structure. The current Andalusian populations appear to have originated from colonization events from the Azores and the Cantabrian Cornice. Our findings suggest that C. macrocarpa persisted through the Last Glacial Maximum in two refugia: the Azores and the Cantabrian Cornice. Colonization into new areas occurred presumably from these refuges, generating two large population groups with structured genetic diversity. This study underscores the significance of clonality in establishing new populations and shaping genetic structure.

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Genetic diversity and population history of the Killarney fern,Vandenboschia speciosa(Hymenophyllaceae), at its southern distribution limit in continental Europe

Cited by 3 publications

References 44 publications

Conservation genetics of the threatened plant species Physaria filiformis (Missouri bladderpod) reveals strong genetic structure and a possible cryptic species

Conservation genetics of the threatened plant species Physaria filiformis (Missouri bladderpod) reveals strong genetic structure and a possible cryptic species

Phylogeographical Analyses of a Relict Fern of Palaeotropical Flora (Vandenboschia speciosa): Distribution and Diversity Model in Relation to the Geological and Climate Events of the Late Miocene and Early Pliocene

Genetic Diversity and Phylogeography of the Relict Tree Fern Culcita macrocarpa: Influence of Clonality and Breeding System on Genetic Variation

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