Revegetation in Japan overlooks geographical genetic structure of native Artemisia indica var. maximowiczii populations

Abstract

Although revegetation activities are often accompanied by extensive release of translocated or cultivated individuals into natural communities, their potential effects on native populations are relatively unclear. Understanding the original genetic structures in natural habitats and how the patterns have been maintained in populations at revegetation sites is a critical first step in assessing current revegetation efforts. Artemisia indica var. maximowiczii is a native species commonly used for revegetation in Japan. We assessed the genetic and morphological variations in individuals collected from natural habitats and revegetation sites across Japan, as well as individuals have grown from two types of commercial seeds from China used for revegetation: imported seeds that originated from Chinese populations and reimported seeds that originated from Japanese populations but were cultivated in China. Genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) data revealed that individuals collected from natural habitats were genetically differentiated between northeastern and southwestern regions in Japan. Individuals grown from the reimported seeds were genetically similar to the northeastern populations in Japan, suggesting their original sources were areas in the northeast. Most individuals collected from revegetation sites were genetically similar to individuals from the reimported seeds, even though the revegetation sites were in southwestern Japan, suggesting that seeds derived from the northeastern populations were used for revegetation throughout Japan. Individuals grown from the imported seeds that originated from China were genetically and morphologically differentiated from native individuals in Japan. Careful consideration should be given to the extensive use of non-local seeds for revegetation that is sourced only from northeastern Japan or foreign countries.

Introduction pathways and evolutionary mechanisms of alien species of Lolium spreading across sandy coasts in Japan

“…The multiplexed inter‐simple sequence repeat genotyping by sequencing (MIG‐seq) library was prepared using the method described by Wagatsuma et al. (2022), which is a slightly modified version of the original protocol (Suyama & Matsuki, 2015). The library was sequenced on an Illumina MiSeq Sequencer (Illumina) using the MiSeq Reagent Kit v2 (300 cycles).…”

“…Human-driven translocation of organisms due to increasing global trade and transport has enormous impact on species distribution (van Kleunen, Dawson, et al, 2015). As invasive alien species threaten native ecosystems and cause economic losses (Diagne et al, 2021;Simberloff et al, 2013;Vilà et al, 2011), several studies have aimed to better understand the factors that lead to the successful establishment and adaptation of alien species (Catford et al, 2019;van Kleunen et al, 2018).…”

Contribution of genetic analyses to semi‐natural grassland biodiversity conservation in Japan

“…Although grassland plants (including native and non‐native species) are often introduced as greening materials, artificial transportation of individuals without considering the genetic structure also entails the risk of causing genetic disturbance (Nakahama et al, 2021; Wagatsuma et al, 2022). For the artificial transportation of greening plants without causing genetic disturbance, understanding the genetic structure of each plant and transporting them within the geographic ranges not exceeding genetic barriers are necessary.…”