Genetic Variation in Rare and Common Plants

Cole, Christopher T.

doi:10.1146/annurev.ecolsys.34.030102.151717

Cited by 275 publications

(255 citation statements)

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“…However, our results suggest that the level of genetic divergence in Persoonia species is not consistently related to rarity across their geographic range. A lack of relationship between population differentiation (F ST ) and geographic range has also been found in recent reviews (Cole 2003;Nybom 2004). Plant breeding systems and seed dispersal mechanisms have been found to be more important in determining population differentiation (Cole 2003;Nybom 2004).…”

Section: Does Limited Gene Flow Cause Rarity?mentioning

confidence: 85%

“…A lack of relationship between population differentiation (F ST ) and geographic range has also been found in recent reviews (Cole 2003;Nybom 2004). Plant breeding systems and seed dispersal mechanisms have been found to be more important in determining population differentiation (Cole 2003;Nybom 2004). As closely related species typically share similar breeding systems and dispersal mechanisms, genetic distances between populations may not be expected to differ in these comparisons despite the sharply contrasting geographic ranges.…”

Section: Does Limited Gene Flow Cause Rarity?mentioning

confidence: 91%

“…It is well-established in theory that small populations will lose genetic variation over time as a result of genetic drift (Wright 1931). Rare species generally have lower levels of genetic variation within populations than related common species (Loveless and Hamrick 1984;Cole 2003;Nybom 2004). However, numerous exceptions to this general trend have been found.…”

Section: Does Genetic Variation Relate To Plant Rarity?mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, numerous exceptions to this general trend have been found. For example, in a meta-analysis, Cole (2003) found 10 out of 48 comparisons in which rare species have higher levels of polymorphism than common species and 14 out of 54 comparisons in which rare species have higher levels of heterozygosity. The rare species we studied, which had relatively small standing populations, had similar (or even greater) levels of genetic variation than closely related common species with much larger populations.…”

Section: Does Genetic Variation Relate To Plant Rarity?mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Therefore, populations of rare species are expected to have low levels of variation and limited ability to adapt to changing environmental conditions. However, despite recent efforts to verify these features of populations few generalities seem to be emerging about the relationship between plant rarity and genetic variation (Gitzendanner and Soltis 2000;Nybom 2004; but see Cole 2003). This may reflect the nature of the comparisons that have been made, as results are likely to differ depending on the criteria used to determine rarity (based on local abundance, geographic range, and habitat specificity ;Rabinowitz 1981) and the life history attributes of the species.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Does genetic variation and gene flow vary with rarity in obligate seeding Persoonia species (Proteaceae)?

Rymer

Ayre

2006

Conserv Genet

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Theory predicts that genetic variation is a determinant of persistence, and that the abundance and distribution of variation is strongly dependent on genetic drift and gene flow. Small, isolated populations are expected to be less diverse and more differentiated than large, inter-connected populations. Thus rare species may be more at risk of extinction. We used 389 putative AFLP loci to compare genetic variation and structuring in two pairs of closely-related common (large populations geographically widespread) and rare (small populations spatially restricted) Persoonia species. We genotyped 15-22 adult plants, from four populations, covering the geographic range of each species. Although genetic diversity was low for all four species (for long-lived outcrossing perennials), we found significantly more diversity within populations of the rare species than within those of the common species. AMOVA revealed significant levels of structure both among species (21%) and populations (15%). The proportion of inter-population variation within species did not vary consistently with rarity (Pair 1 rare 21.1% versus common 16.5%; Pair 2 rare 15.8% versus common 20.6%). However populations of the rare species were more differentiated than common species with similar geographic separation, suggesting greater gene flow between populations of the common species. Therefore, even relatively small genetically isolated populations of rare Persoonia species were more diverse than large populations of common Persoonia species. We hypothesise that common Persoonia species have undergone a rapid range expansion from a narrow gene pool, while genetic diversity is maintained in the soil seed-bank of rare remnants.

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Section: Does Limited Gene Flow Cause Rarity?mentioning

confidence: 85%

Section: Does Limited Gene Flow Cause Rarity?mentioning

confidence: 91%

Section: Does Genetic Variation Relate To Plant Rarity?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Does Genetic Variation Relate To Plant Rarity?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Does genetic variation and gene flow vary with rarity in obligate seeding Persoonia species (Proteaceae)?

Rymer

Ayre

2006

Conserv Genet

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Phylogeography and ecological differentiation of strictly Mediterranean taxa: the case of the Iberian endemic Odontites recordonii

Pinto-Carrasco

Delgado

Agudo

et al. 2021

American J of Botany

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Premise Ecological drivers for genetic differentiation in Mediterranean climates are still underexplored. We have used the strictly Mediterranean endemic Odontites recordonii as a model species to address this question. This species is one of the three Iberian representatives of the O. vernus group, which are morphologically similar. Thus, it was additionally necessary to clarify their phylogenetic relationships. Methods We used amplified fragment length polymorphisms to reveal phylogenetic relationships within O. vernus group, and to reconstruct the phylogeographic patterns within O. recordonii. Additionally, ecological niche models were generated to detect refugia along the Quaternary climatic oscillations. And finally, alleles under natural selection were identified, and correlations between allele presences and environmental variables were calculated in order to shed light on the ecological drivers promoting differentiation. Results The three species from the O. vernus group were recovered as distinct species. Three genetic groups were found within O. recordonii and a putative refugium was detected for each one. Eighty‐one alleles could be under diversifying selection, and 58 alleles showed significant correlations with environmental variables, especially with temperature and precipitation seasonality and summer drought. Conclusions The three Iberian species of the O. vernus group are reciprocal monophyletic taxa. The three genetic groups of O. recordonii could have been restricted to narrow refugia during the Quaternary and displayed present distributions in accordance with bioclimatic conditions. Temperature and precipitation seasonality and the intensity of summer drought are definitory climatic parameters of Mediterranean‐type climates, and they could have acted as drivers of genetic differentiation on O. recordonii.

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Phenotypic plasticity and genetic diversity shed light on endemism of rare Boechera perstellata and its potential vulnerability to climate warming

Boyd,

Baskauf,

Lindsey

et al. 2023

Ecology and Evolution

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The rapid pace of contemporary environmental change puts many species at risk, especially rare species constrained by limited capacity to adapt or migrate due to low genetic diversity and/or fitness. But the ability to acclimate can provide another way to persist through change. We compared the capacity of rare Boechera perstellata (Braun's rockcress) and widespread B. laevigata to acclimate to change. We investigated the phenotypic plasticity of growth, biomass allocation, and leaf morphology of individuals of B. perstellata and B. laevigata propagated from seed collected from several populations throughout their ranges in a growth chamber experiment to assess their capacity to acclimate. Concurrently, we assessed the genetic diversity of sampled populations using 17 microsatellite loci to assess evolutionary potential. Plasticity was limited in both rare B. perstellata and widespread B. laevigata, but differences in the plasticity of root traits between species suggest that B. perstellata may have less capacity to acclimate to change. In contrast to its widespread congener, B. perstellata exhibited no plasticity in response to temperature and weaker plastic responses to water availability. As expected, B. perstellata also had lower levels of observed heterozygosity than B. laevigata at the species level, but population‐level trends in diversity measures were inconsistent due to high heterogeneity among B. laevigata populations. Overall, the ability of phenotypic plasticity to broadly explain the rarity of B. perstellata versus commonness of B. laevigata is limited. However, some contextual aspects of our plasticity findings compared with its relatively low genetic variability may shed light on the narrow range and habitat associations of B. perstellata and suggest its vulnerability to climate warming due to acclimatory and evolutionary constraints.

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Genetic Variation in Rare and Common Plants

Cited by 275 publications

References 85 publications

Does genetic variation and gene flow vary with rarity in obligate seeding Persoonia species (Proteaceae)?

Does genetic variation and gene flow vary with rarity in obligate seeding Persoonia species (Proteaceae)?

Phylogeography and ecological differentiation of strictly Mediterranean taxa: the case of the Iberian endemic Odontites recordonii

Phenotypic plasticity and genetic diversity shed light on endemism of rare Boechera perstellata and its potential vulnerability to climate warming

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