The Marsh Fritillary butterfly (Euphydryas aurinia) is a Eurasian species which has suffered significant reductions in occurrence and abundance over the past century, particularly across the western side of its range, due to agricultural intensification and habitat loss. This loss has been particularly severe in the UK with extensive localised extinctions. Following sympathetic management, reintroduction was undertaken at four Cumbria (northern UK) sites in 2007 with stock from a captive admixture population descended from Cumbrian and Scottish founders. Annual population monitoring of the reintroductions was undertaken. Nine years post-reintroduction, the level of population genetic variation was assessed using microsatellites. Variation in historical Cumbrian samples was determined using museum samples and Scottish samples from current populations were assayed to characterise natural population variation. Half of the Scottish sites also served as indicators of the alleles present in the founder populations. The genetic contribution of the founder populations allied to population size data allowed patterns of genetic variation to be modelled. Alleles from Cumbrian and Scottish founders are present in the reintroduced populations. The four sites have levels of variation akin to natural populations and exhibit differentiation as predicted by statistical modelling and comparable with natural populations. This suggests that reintroduction following captive breeding can produce self-sustaining populations with natural levels of genetic diversity. These populations appear to be undergoing the same evolutionary dynamics with bottlenecks and drift as natural populations. Implications for insect conservation Reintroduction of captive bred individuals is a viable strategy for producing populations with natural levels of genetic diversity and evolutionary dynamics. Hybridisation of populations on the brink of extinction with those thriving can preserve some of the genetic distinctiveness of the declining population.

Knowledge of genetic diversity and connectivity within and between populations of specialist meadow plants is crucial to developing effective conservation strategies at the landscape-scale. This study investigated levels of genetic diversity within, and gene flow between populations of a key annual species, Rhinanthus minor in protected meadows and landscape matrix sites in two contrasting regions. Possible barriers to gene flow were also analysed. Leaf material from 714 individuals in an extensively managed upland region and an intensively managed lowland region of the UK was genotyped using microsatellite markers. Genetic diversity was similar in the two regions (H e = 0.48 and 0.44). F ST values indicated population differentiation in both regions but the estimate was higher in the lowland (F ST = 0.28) than in the upland region (F ST = 0.19); evidence of global structure was revealed in a spatial principal components analysis but a maximum likelihood population effects model did not identify significant predictors of population differentiation after testing the effects of Euclidean geographic distance, land cover and elevation. Conservation strategies should aim to maintain large populations in meadows to enhance genetic diversity. At the same time the focus should be on existing and additional species-rich grassland fragments, particularly in areas of intensive land-use, if genetic connectivity is to be retained.

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Facultative clonality is extremely common in plants, but the relative emphasis on sexual versus asexual reproduction varies both between and within species, which in turn may influence individual fitness and population persistence. Tilia cordata is a temperate, entomophilous canopy tree that is partially clonal. Favourably warm climatic conditions have been linked with successful sexual reproduction in the species with clonality being suggested as the reason for population persistence in colder periods. Despite this the extent, character and structure of asexual reproduction in the species have never been described, nor has its relationship with climate. Fine-scale spatial genetic structure was assessed in 23 stands across a latitudinal gradient. The proportion of individuals that are of clonal origin has a wide range with a mean of ~43%. Genetic diversity is high, with even mostly clonal stand possessing several distinct genotypes. A beta regression model shows that historic summer temperatures and density of recent recruits are predictors of the proportion of clonal recruitment. Clonal reproduction is less important in stands that experience higher temperatures during flowering while stands with more saplings have more clones. Additional factors likely affect the balance between the two reproductive modes. The climatic relationship suggests a trend towards a higher proportion of recruitment from seed in a warming climate, although factors such as herbivory may prevent this.