Molecular phylogeography, intraspecific variation and the conservation of tree species

Newton, Adrian C.; Allnutt, Theo R.; Gillies, Amanda; Lowe, Andrew J.; Ennos, Richard A.

doi:10.1016/s0169-5347(98)01555-9

Cited by 350 publications

(268 citation statements)

References 43 publications

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“…For many widespread tree species, it is precisely the populations at the edge of the distribution range that accumulate most of the intraspecific genetic variation, either because they correspond to glacial (micro-) refugia (for example, Kelly et al, 2010;Anderson et al, 2011), or because they represent contact zones between migrants from such refugia (Hewitt, 2004;Magri et al, 2006). Conservation of natural marginal populations of species has therefore long been considered crucial for the preservation of genetic diversity and evolutionary potential (Newton et al, 1999;Moritz, 2002). Usually, only populations thought to be native are prioritized for conservation (for example, in the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN, 2001)), and populations thought to be introduced or of dubious status are typically not protected (Decocq et al, 2004).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Extending glacial refugia for a European tree: genetic markers show that Iberian populations of white elm are native relicts and not introductions

Fuentes-Utrilla¹,

Venturas²,

Hollingsworth³

et al. 2013

Heredity

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Conservation policies usually focus on in situ protection of native populations, a priority that requires accurate assessment of population status. Distinction between native and introduced status can be particularly difficult (and at the same time, is most important) for species whose natural habitat has become both rare and highly fragmented. Here, we address the status of the white elm (Ulmus laevis Pallas), a European riparian tree species whose populations have been fragmented by human activity and is protected wherever it is considered native. Small populations of this species are located in Iberia, where they are unprotected because they are considered introductions due to their rarity. However, Iberia and neighbouring regions in southwestern France have been shown to support discrete glacial refuge populations of many European trees, and the possibility remains that Iberian white elms are native relicts. We used chloroplast RFLPs and nuclear microsatellites to establish the relationship between populations in Iberia and the Central European core distribution. Bayesian approaches revealed significant spatial structure across populations. Those in Iberia and southwestern France shared alleles absent from Central Europe, and showed spatial population structure within Iberia common in recognized native taxa. Iberian populations show a demographic signature of ancient population bottlenecks, while those in Central European show a signature of recent population bottlenecks. These patterns are not consistent with historical introduction of white elm to Iberia, and instead strongly support native status, arguing for immediate implementation of conservation measures for white elm populations in Spain and contiguous areas of southern France.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Extending glacial refugia for a European tree: genetic markers show that Iberian populations of white elm are native relicts and not introductions

Fuentes-Utrilla¹,

Venturas²,

Hollingsworth³

et al. 2013

Heredity

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“…The distribution and genetic diversity of plant species have been deeply modified by Pleistocene glaciations (Comes and Kadereit, 1998;Hewitt, 1999Hewitt, , 2004Newton et al, 1999;Abbott and Brochmann, 2003). During glaciations, the ranges of species changed and some ancestral populations became extinct, and recolonization subsequently occurred during interglacial periods (Widmer and Lexer, 2001).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…During glaciations, the ranges of species changed and some ancestral populations became extinct, and recolonization subsequently occurred during interglacial periods (Widmer and Lexer, 2001). The species genomes were dramatically influenced by these processes, and molecular markers can be used to infer the phylogeographic pattern of species in response to the Pleistocene climatic changes (Newton et al, 1999;Shen et al, 2002;Abbott and Comes, 2004).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Genetic variation of Ginkgo biloba L. (Ginkgoaceae) based on cpDNA PCR-RFLPs: inference of glacial refugia

Shen

Chen

et al. 2004

Heredity

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Ginkgo biloba, a famous living fossil, is the sole survivor of the genus Ginkgo. To make inferences about the glacial refugia that harbored G. biloba, we examined the genetic structure of eight potential refugial populations and plantations using chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) with eight size variants in the trnK1-trnK2 fragment. The data consist of haplotypes from 158 trees collected from eight localities. The majority of the cpDNA haplotypes are restricted to minor portions of the geographical range. Our results suggest that refugia of G. biloba were located in southwestern China. This area is a current biodiversity hotspot of global importance, and may have been protected from the extremes of climatic fluctuations during the Pleistocene. The Ginkgos on West Tianmu Mountain, which were previously considered to be wild by many researchers, may, instead, have been introduced by Buddhist monks. Heredity (2005) 94, 396-401.

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“…I assess intraspecific variation, treating each species as differentially adapted along climatic and geographic space without the complexity of genetic subspecies differentiation or provenance studies (Newton et al. 1999). In the process, I analyze how environmental variability within and among broadly defined climatic zones can affect abundance, mortality, and regeneration measures, and specifically investigate how the cold adapted, leading zone of the range differs from the warm adapted, trailing zone.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Macroscale intraspecific variation and environmental heterogeneity: analysis of cold and warm zone abundance, mortality, and regeneration distributions of four eastern US tree species

Prasad

2015

Ecology and Evolution

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I test for macroscale intraspecific variation of abundance, mortality, and regeneration of four eastern US tree species (Tsuga canadensis,Betula lenta,Liriodendron tulipifera, and Quercus prinus) by splitting them into three climatic zones based on plant hardiness zones (PHZs). The primary goals of the analysis are to assess the differences in environmental heterogeneity and demographic responses among climatic zones, map regional species groups based on decision tree rules, and evaluate univariate and multivariate patterns of species demography with respect to environmental variables. I use the Forest Inventory Analysis (FIA) data to derive abundance, mortality, and regeneration indices and split the range into three climatic zones based on USDA PHZs: (1) cold adapted, leading region; (2) middle, well‐adapted region; and (3) warm adapted, trailing region. I employ decision tree ensemble methods to assess the importance of environmental predictors on the abundance of the species between the cold and warm zones and map zonal variations in species groups. Multivariate regression trees are used to simultaneously explore abundance, mortality, and regeneration in tandem to assess species vulnerability. Analyses point to the relative importance of climate in the warm adapted, trailing zone (especially moisture) compared to the cold adapted, leading zone. Higher mortality and lower regeneration patterns in the warm trailing zone point to its vulnerability to growing season temperature and precipitation changes that could figure more prominently in the future. This study highlights the need to account for intraspecific variation of demography in order to understand environmental heterogeneity and differential adaptation. It provides a methodology for assessing the vulnerability of tree species by delineating climatic zones based on easily available PHZ data, and FIA derived abundance, mortality, and regeneration indices as a proxy for overall growth and fitness. Based on decision tree rules, ecologically meaningful variations in species abundance among the climatic zones can be related to environmental variability and mapped.

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Molecular phylogeography, intraspecific variation and the conservation of tree species

Cited by 350 publications

References 43 publications

Extending glacial refugia for a European tree: genetic markers show that Iberian populations of white elm are native relicts and not introductions

Extending glacial refugia for a European tree: genetic markers show that Iberian populations of white elm are native relicts and not introductions

Genetic variation of Ginkgo biloba L. (Ginkgoaceae) based on cpDNA PCR-RFLPs: inference of glacial refugia

Macroscale intraspecific variation and environmental heterogeneity: analysis of cold and warm zone abundance, mortality, and regeneration distributions of four eastern US tree species

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