Understanding genetic diversity of relict forests. Linking long-term isolation legacies and current habitat fragmentation in Abies pinsapo Boiss

Cobo‐Simón, Irene; Méndez‐Cea, Belén; Jump, Alistair S.; Seco, José Ignacio; Gallego, Francisco Javier; Linares, Juan Carlos

doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2020.117947

Cited by 22 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 62 publications

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“…Nevertheless, the results obtained here underline the persistence of high genetic diversity in C. atlantica (H E = 0.894) and provide no evidence of a recent bottleneck. This result is in line with previous genetic studies that reported a considerably high level of diversity for C. atlantica (Bechir et al 2004;Sękiewicz et al 2018;Bagnoli et al 2020) and other narrow endemic conifers (Eliades et al 2011;Cobo-Simón et al 2020;Dering et al 2014). In fact, this pattern of diversity observed for narrow endemic plants from the Mediterranean is not an exception.…”

Section: Genetic Diversity and Spatial Structuresupporting

confidence: 92%

High genetic diversity and low future habitat suitability: will Cupressus atlantica, endemic to the High Atlas, survive under climate change?

et al. 2020

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Cupressus atlantica is a narrow endemic species of semi-arid and sub-humid habitats in the western High Atlas, Morocco. We explored the possible dynamics of the species’ range under climatic changes using species distribution modelling (SDM) to identify populations vulnerable to range changes. Additionally, we investigated the spatial genetic structure (SGS), the effective population size and genetic connectivity in natural populations, which may provide important data on demo-genetic processes and support the conservation management of this critically endangered species. The SDM results showed that the current species range constitutes only 49% of the potential distribution. Under the most pessimistic scenarios (RCP6.0 and RCP8.5), a significant reduction in the species range was predicted. However, the projection based on RPC4.5 revealed possible extensions of the habitats suitable for C. atlantica. Potentially, these areas could serve as new habitats that could be used with the assisted migration approach aiming to mitigate the current fragmentation. In terms of the SGS, significant and positive aggregation of relatives was detected up to ca. 100 m. In comparison to other fragmented and endemic species, the detected SGS was weak (Sp = 0.0112). The estimated level of recent gene flow was considerable, which likely prevented a strong SGS and allowed diversity to accumulate (HE = 0.894). The most alarming results concern the effective population size, which was very low in the studied populations (< 53), suggesting a possible increase in inbreeding and loss of diversity in the near future. More effective conservation actions integrating in situ and ex situ measures should be undertaken to prevent extirpation of the species.

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Section: Genetic Diversity and Spatial Structuresupporting

confidence: 92%

High genetic diversity and low future habitat suitability: will Cupressus atlantica, endemic to the High Atlas, survive under climate change?

et al. 2020

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“…Since AMOVA analysis informed the genetic divergence related to neutral components such as demography, it was worth comparing the results of this work with those obtained in a previous study using neutral markers (SSR) in the same individuals [19]. In that study, the Fst values in S and C ranged between −0.051 and 0.020, similar to those obtained here, with the exception of C by survival in SNPGORK, which showed a high and statistically significant Fst value in this work, using all individuals (Fst = 0.267, FDR = 0.03) (Table 1 and Supplementary Material Table S1), and in six out of the eight alive/dead balanced subsets (Fst = 0.397, p value = 0.021) (Table 2).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…LFMM was a hierarchical Bayesian mixed model, which corrected the underlying population structure, which was introduced into the model via the number of expected clusters (K). Previous population genetic work using microsatellite markers found no evidence of genetic structure in both S and C populations [19]. Thus, K was set to one.…”

Section: Detection Of Selection Signatures and Genetic Structure Related To Altitude Age And Survivalmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Thus, relict tree species may be ideal models to investigate evolutionary responses to rapid climate change [18]. Abies pinsapo Boiss., is a relict, endangered, and drought-sensitive conifer that biogeographically represents the southernmost European fir [13,19]. Previous studies pointed to long-term drought stress as the main factor regarding A. pinsapo population decline [20].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although the A. pinsapo neutral genetic diversity was previously studied [19,[31][32][33], this is the first study that investigates its adaptive genetic diversity. This is relevant and timely, since conservation actions are generally based on adaptive genetic variation, which often did not match a neutral molecular variation.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Gene Frequency Shift in Relict Abies pinsapo Forests Associated with Drought-Induced Mortality: Preliminary Evidence of Local-Scale Divergent Selection

Cobo‐Simón

Méndez‐Cea

Seco

et al. 2021

Forests

Self Cite

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Current climate change constitutes a challenge for the survival of several drought-sensitive forests. The study of the genetic basis of adaptation offers a suitable way to understand how tree species may respond to future climatic conditions, as well as to design suitable conservation and management strategies. Here, we focus on selected genetic signatures of the drought-sensitive relict fir, Abies pinsapo Boiss. Field sampling of 156 individuals was performed in two elevation ecotones, characterized by widespread A. pinsapo decline and mortality. The DNA from dead trees was investigated and compared to living individuals, accounting for different ages and elevations. We studied the genes gated outwardly-rectifying K+ (GORK) channel and Plasma membrane Intrinsic Protein (PIP1) aquaporin, previously related to drought response in plant model species, to test whether drought was the main abiotic factor driving the decline of A. pinsapo forests. A combination of linear regression and factor models were used to test these selection signatures, as well as a fixation index (Fst), used here to analyze the genetic structure. The results were consistent among these approaches, supporting a statistically significant association of the GORK gene with survival in one of the A. pinsapo populations. These results provide preliminary evidence for the potential role of the GORK gene in the resilience to drought of A. pinsapo.

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Changes in demography and geographic distribution in the weeping pinyon pine (Pinus pinceana) during the Pleistocene

Figueroa-Corona

Moreno‐Letelier

Vecchyo

et al. 2022

Ecology and Evolution

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Climate changes, together with geographical barriers imposed by the Sierra Madre Oriental and the Chihuahuan Desert, have shaped the genetic diversity and spatial distribution of different species in northern Mexico. Pinus pinceana Gordon & Glend. tolerates extremely arid conditions. Northern Mexico became more arid during the Quaternary, modifying ecological communities. Here, we try to identify the processes underlying the demographic history of P. pinceana and characterize its genetic diversity using 3100 SNPs from genotyping by sequencing 90 adult individuals from 10 natural populations covering the species' entire geographic distribution. We inferred its population history and contrasted possible demographic scenarios of divergence that modeled the genetic diversity present in this restricted pinyon pine; in support, the past distribution was reconstructed using climate from the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM, 22 kya). We inferred that P. pinceana diverged into two lineages ~2.49 Ma (95% CI 3.28–1.62), colonizing two regions: the Sierra Madre Oriental (SMO) and the Chihuahuan Desert (ChD). Our results of population genomic analyses reveal the presence of heterozygous SNPs in all populations. In addition, low migration rates across regions are probably related to glacial–interglacial cycles, followed by the gradual aridification of the Chihuahuan Desert during the Holocene.

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Understanding genetic diversity of relict forests. Linking long-term isolation legacies and current habitat fragmentation in Abies pinsapo Boiss

Cited by 22 publications

References 62 publications

High genetic diversity and low future habitat suitability: will Cupressus atlantica, endemic to the High Atlas, survive under climate change?

High genetic diversity and low future habitat suitability: will Cupressus atlantica, endemic to the High Atlas, survive under climate change?

Gene Frequency Shift in Relict Abies pinsapo Forests Associated with Drought-Induced Mortality: Preliminary Evidence of Local-Scale Divergent Selection

Changes in demography and geographic distribution in the weeping pinyon pine (Pinus pinceana) during the Pleistocene

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