Staying close: short local dispersal distances on a managed forest of two Patagonian Nothofagus species

Abstract

Understanding the impact of management on the dispersal potential of forest tree species is pivotal in the context of global change, given the implications of gene flow on species evolution. We aimed to determine the effect of logging on gene flow distances in two Nothofagus species from temperate Patagonian forests having high ecological relevance and wood quality. Therefore, a total of 778 individuals (mature trees and saplings) of Nothofagus alpina and N. obliqua, from a single plot managed 20 years ago (2.85 hectares), were mapped and genotyped at polymorphic nuclear microsatellite loci. Historical estimates of gene dispersal distance (based on fine-scale spatial genetic structure) and contemporary estimates of seed and pollen dispersal (based on spatially explicit mating models) were obtained. The results indicated restricted gene flow (gene distance ≤ 45 m, both pollen and seed), no selfing and significant seed and pollen immigration from trees located outside the studied plot but in the close surrounding area. The size of trees (diameter at breast height and height) was significantly associated with female and/or male fertility. The significant fine-scale spatial genetic structure was consistent with the restricted seed and pollen dispersal. Moreover, both estimates of gene dispersal (historical and contemporary) gave congruent results. This suggests that the recent history of logging within the study area has not significantly influenced on patterns of gene flow, which can be explained by the silviculture applied to the stand. The residual tree density maintained species composition, and the homogeneous spatial distribution of trees allowed the maintenance of gene dispersal. The short dispersal distance estimated for these two species has several implications both for understanding the evolution of the species and for defining management, conservation and restoration actions. Future replication of this study in other Nothofagus Patagonian forests would be helpful to validate our conclusions.

Stand development stages and recruitment patterns influence fine-scale spatial genetic structure in two Patagonian Nothofagus species

“…However, even before the silvicultural management, this stand showed lower density and higher size of mature trees than the Chidiak stand (Sola et al 2015). Moreover, logging has not significantly influenced the genetic diversity and patterns of gene flow (Sola et al 2016;Sola et al 2020b). This result could be a consequence of the type of intervention, which was performed maintaining the original relative species composition and the homogenous spatial distribution of mature trees (Sola et al 2020b).…”

“…Moreover, logging has not significantly influenced the genetic diversity and patterns of gene flow (Sola et al 2016;Sola et al 2020b). This result could be a consequence of the type of intervention, which was performed maintaining the original relative species composition and the homogenous spatial distribution of mature trees (Sola et al 2020b). Therefore, we could compare both stands considering their contrasting forest structures.…”

“…Fine-scale spatial genetic structure was assessed in both stands considering all mature trees and the regeneration following the procedure described in Vekemans and Hardy (2004) and previously applied in Sola et al (2020b). Pairwise kinship coefficients (F ij ) were estimated between individuals using Nason's estimator of kinship (Loiselle et al 1995), chosen due to its statistically robust properties (Vekemans and Hardy 2004), using the software SPAGEDI 1.4c (Hardy and Vekemans 2002).…”

“…The significant fine-scale spatial genetic structure has been reported for populations of trees of N. alpina and N. obliqua (Marchelli et al 2012;Sola et al 2020b). This pattern was stronger for N. obliqua than for N. alpina, a result consistent with their differences in gene dispersal parameters (Sola et al 2020b).…”

“…The significant fine-scale spatial genetic structure has been reported for populations of trees of N. alpina and N. obliqua (Marchelli et al 2012;Sola et al 2020b). This pattern was stronger for N. obliqua than for N. alpina, a result consistent with their differences in gene dispersal parameters (Sola et al 2020b). For N. pumilio, FSGS was also detected in populations of trees at contrasting elevations, indicating that life history traits, including regeneration mode under distinct environmental (i.e., elevations) and historical (i.e., disturbances) factors, drive the spatial arrangement of genotypes in this species (Mathiasen and Premoli 2013).…”