Phylogenomic and morphological data reveal hidden patterns of diversity in the national tree of Brazil, Paubrasilia echinata

Abstract

Premise of the studyPaubrasilia echinata (Lam.) Gagnon, H. C. Lima & G. P. Lewis (“Pau Brasil”) is the national tree of Brazil, an endangered species endemic to the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. The wide distribution, spanning over 2000 km, matches extensive plasticity in leaf morphology. Three morphotypes are commonly identified based on leaf size but it is unclear if they represent distinct taxa or a single polymorphic species. This study aims to clarify the taxonomic position of the three morphotypes to inform conservation decisions.MethodsA morphometric study based on leaf characters of herbarium specimens was coupled with genetic analyses using genotype‐by‐sequencing data. We used maximum‐likelihood and coalescent methods to evaluate the phylogenetic and population structure of the species. We compared these with a morphological dendrogram built from hierarchical clustering.Key ResultsWe found that two of the three morphotypes formed separately evolving lineages, that the third morphotype formed two geographically separate lineages, and that northern trees with intermediate leaf morphology formed a separate fifth lineage. Leaflet size varied by over 35‐fold and although morphological clustering generally matched the genetic patterns, there were some overlaps, highlighting the cryptic diversity within this group.ConclusionsOur genetic and morphological results provide some evidence that cultivated trees from different states in Brazil seem to be of limited genetic origin and do not reflect the broader genetic and geographical diversity of the species. This suggests that more care is needed to protect and preserve the overall genomic diversity of this endangered and iconic species.This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Nunes et al.: Leguminosae: The Plant Family That Can Face a Triple Planetary Crisis Leguminosae: The Plant Family That Can Face a Triple Planetary Crisis

“…The seedlings are then used in the restoration of Atlantic Forest areas in southern Bahia by the Arboretum Program. Finally, another demand is the production of seedlings for ornamental purposes, which are mostly formed by seedlings without provenance and marketed for planting in squares and gardens without any care for genetic diversity and provenance (Rees et al, 2023). Problems: Endangered species, Illegal extraction of native Brazilian wood; Increase in demand for wood for stringed instrument bows from countries in North America, Europe, and Asia; Absence of scal incentives for commercial plantations and small ecological farmers; Conservation actions for commercial plantations carried out by companies and non-governmental organizations, in a sporadic and uncoordinated manner; Demand for wood for reforestation; Need for research on the conservation of the species and on production technology.…”

Brazilian Environment and Plants as Seen by Japanese Eyes Two Hundred and Twenty Years Ago

“…Historical maps from the 16th century roughly depicted the presence of this species in the region, although precise information about the geographical distribution in these cartographies is hampered for two reasons: first, the need to show the precise localization and geographical accidents of the discovered lands; and second, the choice of not showing the distribution of resources of economic interest with both political and strategic purposes [ 50 ]. The accepted distribution of brazilwood is the Atlantic Forest further north of Santa Catarina [ 51 , 52 ]; however, these scattered registers of travelers and naturalists of the 18th and 19th centuries [ 38 , 48 ] inspire thoughts about the unsure possibility of a broader, albeit rare, distribution of this species.…”

Genetic structure and origin of emu populations in Japanese farms inferred from large-scale SNP genotyping based on double-digest RAD-seq

“…Recently, genome-wide genotyping systems, including RAD-seq, have revealed the genetic relationships among populations and hidden genetic structures in many wild organisms and livestock 29 – 31 . Using RAD-seq, we successfully identified genetic divergence among populations and discovered rare genetic components in the Japanese emu.…”