Genetic rescue in interconnected populations of small and large size of the self-incompatible Ranunculus reptans

Willi, Yvonne; Fischer, Markus

doi:10.1038/sj.hdy.6800732

Cited by 66 publications

(55 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…Furthermore, decrease in habitat quality is associated with less favourable environmental conditions in remnant populations (Frankham et al, 2002), potentially causing a reduction in individual size and floral display. The latter affects pollen flow patterns within populations, which can in turn lower fecundity and fitness (Allee effects; Lienert, 2004;Willi and Fischer, 2005). Hence, pollen flow patterns are a key factor in plant conservation and genetics.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mating patterns and contemporary gene flow by pollen in a large continuous and a small isolated population of the scattered forest tree Sorbus torminalis

et al. 2007

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The influence of population size and spatial isolation on contemporary gene flow by pollen and mating patterns in temperate forest trees are not well documented, although they are crucial factors in the life history of plant species. We analysed a small, isolated population and a large, continuous population of the insect-pollinated tree species Sorbus torminalis in two consecutive years. The species recently experienced increased habitat fragmentation due to altered forest management leading to forests with closed canopies. We estimated individual plant size, percentage of flowering trees, intensity of flowering, degree of fruiting and seed set per fruit, and we determined mating patterns, pollen flow distances and external gene flow in a genetic paternity analysis based on microsatellite markers. We found clear effects of small population size and spatial isolation in S. torminalis. Compared with the large, continuous population, the small and isolated population harboured a lower percentage of flowering trees, showed less intense flowering, lower fruiting, less developed seeds per fruit, increased selfing and received less immigrant pollen. However, the negative inbreeding coefficients (F IS ) of offspring indicated that this did not result in inbred seed at the population level. We also show that flowering, fruiting and pollen flow patterns varied among years, the latter being affected by the size of individuals. Though our study was unreplicated at the factor level (i.e. isolated vs non-isolated populations), it shows that small and spatially isolated populations of S. torminalis may also be genetically isolated, but that their progeny is not necessarily more inbred.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mating patterns and contemporary gene flow by pollen in a large continuous and a small isolated population of the scattered forest tree Sorbus torminalis

et al. 2007

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“…To aid in effective management, it is therefore critical to disentangle the relative importance of demographic and genetic processes. Because greater numbers of migrants harbor greater genetic diversity in most natural populations (25,26), the best way to separate these processes is with experiments in which numbers of individuals and the genetic variation they harbor do not covary.…”

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confidence: 99%

“…For instance, the role of purely demographic processes will depend upon population size, potentially being more important when populations are smaller (25,27). Understanding the relative importance of genetic and demographic processes and how they compare with adaptation from standing variation will fill a fundamental knowledge gap that only experimental eco-evolutionary research can fully resolve.…”

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confidence: 99%

Three types of rescue can avert extinction in a changing environment

Hufbauer

Szűcs

Kasyon

et al. 2015

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

148

189

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Setting aside high-quality large areas of habitat to protect threatened populations is becoming increasingly difficult as humans fragment and degrade the environment. Biologists and managers therefore must determine the best way to shepherd small populations through the dual challenges of reductions in both the number of individuals and genetic variability. By bringing in additional individuals, threatened populations can be increased in size (demographic rescue) or provided with variation to facilitate adaptation and reduce inbreeding (genetic rescue). The relative strengths of demographic and genetic rescue for reducing extinction and increasing growth of threatened populations are untested, and which type of rescue is effective may vary with population size. Using the flour beetle (Tribolium castaneum) in a microcosm experiment, we disentangled the genetic and demographic components of rescue, and compared them with adaptation from standing genetic variation (evolutionary rescue in the strictest sense) using 244 experimental populations founded at either a smaller (50 individuals) or larger (150 individuals) size. Both types of rescue reduced extinction, and those effects were additive. Over the course of six generations, genetic rescue increased population sizes and intrinsic fitness substantially. Both large and small populations showed evidence of being able to adapt from standing genetic variation. Our results support the practice of genetic rescue in facilitating adaptation and reducing inbreeding depression, and suggest that demographic rescue alone may suffice in larger populations even if only moderately inbred individuals are available for addition.genetic rescue | extinction | migration | evolutionary rescue | adaptation H uman activities, climate change, and habitat loss are putting thousands of species at risk for extinction (1). Traditional conservation approaches that concentrate on improving habitat quality and size are becoming challenging to implement as human populations expand and degrade natural resources at an ever increasing rate. Thus, conservation efforts that are constrained by the availability of habitat may instead need to focus on improving a species' prospect of survival by maintaining sufficient population sizes and supporting the ability of populations to adapt to changing conditions. The most successful approaches are likely to be eco-evolutionary in focus, and thus aim to manipulate evolutionary processes such as inbreeding and the potential for adaptation, to influence ecological dynamics and, ultimately, population persistence.Eco-evolutionary approaches often rely on facilitating movement of individuals among small, threatened populations (2). Brown and Kodric-Brown (3) showed theoretically that immigration in natural systems can save small populations from extinction and referred to this process as the "rescue effect." This phenomenon has since been well documented (4-8), and human-facilitated immigration has been used to rescue populations threatened by degraded habitat o...

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“…For these, pollen flow from the core of the distribution area may be beneficial, particularly from a climate change perspective as core populations are better adapted to the future conditions that are predicted at the leading edge. In this case, connectivity will reduce inbreeding and drift at the leading edge (Willi and Fischer 2005). Conversely, disjunct populations at the rear edge, with a long history of demographic stability (Hampe and Petit 2005), will suffer from maladaptive gene flow from core populations (Lenormand 2002).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Forests and global change: what can genetics contribute to the major forest management and policy challenges of the twenty-first century?

et al. 2015

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The conservation and sustainable use of forests in the twenty-first century pose huge challenges for forest management and policy. Society demands that forests provide a wide range of ecosystem services, from timber products, raw materials and renewable energy to sociocultural amenities and habitats for nature conservation. Innovative management and policy approaches need to be developed to meet these often-conflicting demands in a context of environmental change of uncertain magnitude and scale. Genetic diversity is a key component of resilience and adaptability. Overall, forest tree populations are genetically very diverse, conferring them an enormous potential for genetic adaptation via the processes of gene flow and natural selection. Here, we review the main challenges facing our forests in the coming century and focus on how recent progress in genetics can contribute to the development of appropriate practical actions that forest managers and policy makers can adopt to promote forest resilience to climate change. Emerging knowledge will inform and clarify current controversies relating to the choice of appropriate genetic resources for planting, the effect of silvicultural systems and stand tending on adaptive potential and the best ways to harness genetic diversity in breeding and conservation programs. Gaps in our knowledge remain, and we identify where additional information is needed (e.g., the adaptive value of peripheral populations or the genetic determinism of key adaptive traits) and the types of studies that are required to provide this key understanding.

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Genetic rescue in interconnected populations of small and large size of the self-incompatible Ranunculus reptans

Cited by 66 publications

References 45 publications

Mating patterns and contemporary gene flow by pollen in a large continuous and a small isolated population of the scattered forest tree Sorbus torminalis

Mating patterns and contemporary gene flow by pollen in a large continuous and a small isolated population of the scattered forest tree Sorbus torminalis

Three types of rescue can avert extinction in a changing environment

Forests and global change: what can genetics contribute to the major forest management and policy challenges of the twenty-first century?

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