Mapping Biodiversity and Setting Conservation Priorities for SE Queensland’s Rainforests Using DNA Barcoding

Abstract

Australian rainforests have been fragmented due to past climatic changes and more recently landscape change as a result of clearing for agriculture and urban spread. The subtropical rainforests of South Eastern Queensland are significantly more fragmented than the tropical World Heritage listed northern rainforests and are subject to much greater human population pressures. The Australian rainforest flora is relatively taxonomically rich at the family level, but less so at the species level. Current methods to assess biodiversity based on species numbers fail to adequately capture this richness at higher taxonomic levels. We developed a DNA barcode library for the SE Queensland rainforest flora to support a methodology for biodiversity assessment that incorporates both taxonomic diversity and phylogenetic relationships. We placed our SE Queensland phylogeny based on a three marker DNA barcode within a larger international rainforest barcode library and used this to calculate phylogenetic diversity (PD). We compared phylo- diversity measures, species composition and richness and ecosystem diversity of the SE Queensland rainforest estate to identify which bio subregions contain the greatest rainforest biodiversity, subregion relationships and their level of protection. We identified areas of highest conservation priority. Diversity was not correlated with rainforest area in SE Queensland subregions but PD was correlated with both the percent of the subregion occupied by rainforest and the diversity of regional ecosystems (RE) present. The patterns of species diversity and phylogenetic diversity suggest a strong influence of historical biogeography. Some subregions contain significantly more PD than expected by chance, consistent with the concept of refugia, while others were significantly phylogenetically clustered, consistent with recent range expansions.

Plant DNA barcodes: Applications today and in the future

“…Graphical representation derived from the phylogenetic tree for SE Queensland based on three DNA barcode markers indicating by colored bars the species present in each of the subregions. (from Shapcott et al, ).…”

“…For the applied users of taxonomy, DNA barcoding serves as a means to identify regulated species, invasive species, and endangered species, and to test the identity and purity of botanical products, such as commercial herbal medicines and dietary supplements. DNA barcodes are now also being used to address ecological, evolutionary, and conservation issues, such as the ecological rules controlling the assembly of species in plant communities (e.g., Kress et al, ), the degree of ecological specialization found in plant‐animal networks (e.g., Jurado‐Rivera et al, ), and determining the most evolutionarily diverse habitats for protection (Shapcott et al, ).…”

“…Graphical representation derived from the phylogenetic tree for SE Queensland based on three DNA barcode markers indicating by colored bars the species present in each of the subregions. (from Shapcott et al, 2015). botanical community by: 1) building a more comprehensive global plant DNA barcode library for universal use, and 2) developing new markers and adopting new sequencing technologies.…”

Relationships between Nut Size, Kernel Quality, Nutritional Composition and Levels of Outcrossing in Three Macadamia Cultivars

“…We froze each leaf or kernel subsample in liquid nitrogen and ground it to a powder using an MM2000 TissueLyser (Retsch, Haan, Germany) after adding disposable 0.1 and 2.3 mm diameter zirconia/silica beads (Daintree Scientific, St. Helens, Tasmania, Australia) [113]. DNA was extracted using a glass-fibre DNA-extraction protocol for plants [114].…”

Continental‐scale spatial phylogenetics of Australian angiosperms provides insights into ecology, evolution and conservation

“…As an example, the use of PD has been shown to lead to greater preservation of 'feature diversity' in the Cape Floristic Region of South Africa (Forest et al, 2007). Phylogenetic techniques have also been employed to identify evolutionarily significant regions of diversity (Sechrest et al, 2002;Vandergast et al, 2008;Jetz et al, 2012;Kooyman et al, 2013;Mishler et al, 2014;Rosauer & Jetz, 2014;Laity et al, 2015;Nagalingum et al, 2015;Shapcott et al, 2015) and unique lineages (Isaac et al, 2007;Rosauer et al, 2009). As this approach gains popularity, the importance of testing the statistical significance of observed patterns has become paramount.…”