The relevance of genetic structure in ecotype designation and conservation management

Abstract

The concept of ecotypes is complex, partly because of its interdisciplinary nature, but the idea is intrinsically valuable for evolutionary biology and applied conservation. The complex nature of ecotypes has spurred some confusion and inconsistencies in the literature, thereby limiting broader theoretical development and practical application. We provide suggestions for how incorporating genetic analyses can ease confusion and help define ecotypes. We approach this by systematically reviewing 112 publications across taxa that simultaneously mention the terms ecotype, conservation and management, to examine the current use of the term in the context of conservation and management. We found that most ecotypeThis is an open access article under the terms of the Creat ive Commo ns Attri bution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Mixed origin of juvenile Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) along the Swedish west coast

“…Populations with heritable differences in behaviour, morphology, physiology, or life history traits associated with adaptation to different environments are often referred to as “ecotypes” (Stronen et al ., 2022), and have been described in several fish species (e.g. herring [Clupea harengus], Bekkevold et al ., 2016; three-spined stickleback [Gasterosteus aculeatus], Hohenlohe et al ., 2010; and Atlantic cod [Gadus morhua], Michalsen et al ., 2014; Knutsen et al ., 2018).…”

Genome‐environment association analyses reveal geographically restricted adaptive divergence across the range of the widespread Eurasian carnivore Lynx lynx (Linnaeus, 1758)

“…Apart from taxonomic inferences, understanding how adaptive variation shapes the relationships between different populations of Eurasian lynx can assist the identification of evolutionary significant units (ESUs; Funk et al, 2012; Ryder, 1986) and ecotypes (Stronen et al, 2022), with the aim of guiding conservation management decisions (Teixeira & Huber, 2021). Our results suggest that differences in local environmental conditions, especially linked to snow precipitation and daily temperature fluctuations, should be an important factor to consider when delimiting Eurasian lynx ESUs.…”

“…While there are still some aspects of the significance of adaptive genetic variation that remain not fully grasped, it is widely recognized that it plays an important role in speciation pathways and the global distribution of organisms (Doebeli & Dieckmann, 2004; Weissing et al, 2011). Understanding and describing species‐wide patterns of functional genetic diversity is therefore key to prioritizing conservation efforts and guiding taxonomic delimitation (Schmidt et al, 2019; Stronen et al, 2022; Teixeira & Huber, 2021).…”

“…Local adaptations are expected to shape species diversity and contribute to intraspecific divergence and may eventually lead to speciation (de Queiroz, 2007). The identification of locally adapted populations should thus play a key role in the delimitation of evolutionary significant units (ESUs) for species conservation (Funk et al, 2012; Ryder, 1986), designation of ecotypes (Stronen et al, 2022) and subspecies (Schmidt et al, 2019). While there are still some aspects of the significance of adaptive genetic variation that remain not fully grasped, it is widely recognized that it plays an important role in speciation pathways and the global distribution of organisms (Doebeli & Dieckmann, 2004; Weissing et al, 2011).…”

“…Understanding and describing species-wide patterns of functional genetic diversity is therefore key to prioritizing conservation efforts and guiding taxonomic delimitation (Schmidt et al, 2019;Stronen et al, 2022;Teixeira & Huber, 2021).…”