Using phylogeography to define conservation priorities: The case of narrow endemic plants in the Mediterranean Basin hotspot

Mèdail, Frédéric; Baumel, Alex

doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2018.05.028

Cited by 62 publications

(57 citation statements)

References 74 publications

(89 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…In fact, this pattern of diversity observed for narrow endemic plants from the Mediterranean is not an exception. According to the recent review, half of the studied endemic species have moderate to high genetic diversity (Médail and Baumel 2018). In all analysed populations, a moderate level of homozygosity excess was observed, and in Tanmmart and Alouss, it likely resulted mostly from inbreeding.…”

Section: Genetic Diversity and Spatial Structurementioning

confidence: 93%

See 1 more Smart Citation

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

et al. 2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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.

show abstract

Section: Genetic Diversity and Spatial Structurementioning

confidence: 93%

“…The Mediterranean is one of the 36 biodiversity hotspots of global importance due to its high species diversity, high endemism and alarming rate of biodiversity loss (Médail and Baumel 2018;Myers et al 2000). However, this region struggles with strong climate-driven environmental changes.…”

Section: Communicated By Wolfgang Cramermentioning

confidence: 99%

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

et al. 2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The description of conservation priorities using insights gained from phylogeographic analysis has been applied to biodiverse regions elsewhere in the world. These include setting conservation priorities for the: mammal fauna of the Amazon ( Da Silva & Patton, 1998 ); lizard fauna of northern Australia ( Rosauer et al, 2016 ); and the floras of south western Australia ( Byrne, 2007 ), California ( Calsbeek, Thompson & Richardson, 2003 ), and the Mediterranean basin ( Médail & Baumel, 2018 ). However, the phylogeographic studies conducted in these regions, and subsequently used to define conservation targets, were done on species with sufficient range overlap to allow for the detection of shared patterns of genetic structuring.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Do Centres of Endemism provide a spatial context for predicting and preserving plant phylogeographic patterns in the Cape Floristic Region, South Africa?

Galuszynski

Potts

2020

PeerJ

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Aim The evolutionary forces that gave rise to the exceptional plant species richness of the Cape Floristic Region (CFR) have also likely played a role at the intraspecific level (i.e. plant populations)—and thereby generating shared phylogeographic patterns among taxa. Here we test whether plant populations in the CFR exhibit phylogeographic breaks across the boundaries between Centres of Endemism (CoEs). The boundaries between CoEs (derived from the distribution ranges of endemic taxa and currently mapped at a coarse, Quarter Degree Square scale) represent a spatial proxy for the evolutionary diversifying drivers acting on plant taxa in the CFR. Location The CFR, located along the southern Cape of South Africa. Methods Published phylogeographic literature were compiled and spatial patterns of genetic divergence re-analysed to assess the frequency at which CFR plant taxa exhibit phylogeographic breaks either (1) across or (2) within CoE boundaries. Population pairs from each study were compared across and within CoEs and scored as either exhibiting a phylogeographic break or not. Results Phylogeographic breaks in Cape plants were found to occur across the boundaries of CoEs more often than not. Significantly more population pairs exhibited phylogeographic breaks across CoE boundaries (506 of the 540, χ2 = 886, p < 0.001) and fewer breaks within CoEs (94 of 619, χ2 = 300, p < 0.001) than would be expected if there was equal probability of a genetic break occurring across CoE boundaries. Main conclusions The evolutionary forces that have produced and maintained the exceptional plant diversity in the CFR appear to have operated at the population level, producing similar patterns of phylogeographic structuring of plant lineages regardless of life history or taxonomy. This tendency for Cape plants to exhibit shared patterns of spatially structured genetic diversity that match the distribution of endemic taxa may assist CFR phylogeographers to streamline sampling efforts and test novel hypotheses pertaining to the distribution of genetic diversity among CFR plant taxa. Additionally, the resolution at which CoEs are mapped should be refined, which may provide a valuable tool for future conservation planning and the development of precautionary guidelines for the translocation of genetic material during species reintroductions and commercial cultivation of Cape endemic crops. Thus, to answer the question ‘Do Centres of Endemism provide a spatial context for predicting and preserving plant phylogeographic patterns in the Cape Floristic Region, South Africa?’—yes, CoEs do appear to be an important tool for Cape phylogeographers. However, the data is limited and more plant phylogeography work is needed in the CFR.

show abstract

“…The description of conservation priorities using insights gained from phylogeographic analysis has been applied to biodiverse regions elsewhere in the world. These include setting conservation priorities for the: mammal fauna of the Amazon (Da Silva and Patton, 1998); lizard fauna of northern Australia (Rosauer et al, 2016); and the floras of south western Australia (Byrne, 2007), California (Calsbeek et al, 2003), and the Mediterranean basin (Médail and Baumel, 2018). However, the phylogeographic studies conducted in these regions, and subsequently used to define conservation targets, were done on species with sufficient range overlap to allow for the detection of shared patterns of genetic structuring.…”

Section: Implications For Conservation Planningmentioning

confidence: 99%

Peer Review #2 of "Do Centres of Endemism provide a spatial context for predicting and preserving plant phylogeographic patterns in the Cape Floristic Region, South Africa? (v0.1)"

2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The evolutionary forces that gave rise to the exceptional plant species richness of the Cape Floristic Region (CFR) have also likely played a role at the intraspecific level (i.e. plant populations)-and thereby generating shared phylogeographic patterns among taxa. Here we test whether plant populations in the CFR exhibit phylogeographic breaks across the boundaries between Centres of Endemism (CoEs). The boundaries between CoEs (derived from the distribution ranges of endemic taxa and currently mapped at a coarse, Quarter Degree Square [QDS] scale) represent a spatial proxy for the evolutionary diversifying drivers acting on plant taxa in the CFR. Location: The Cape Floristic Region, located along the southern Cape of South Africa. Methods: Published phylogeographic literature were compiled and spatial patterns of genetic divergence re-analysed to assess the frequency at which CFR plant taxa exhibit phylogeographic breaks either 1) across or 2) within CoE boundaries. Population pairs from each study were compared across and within CoEs and scored as either exhibiting a phylogeographic break or not. Results: Phylogeographic breaks in Cape plants were found to occur across the boundaries of CoEs more often than not. Significantly more population pairs exhibited phylogeographic breaks across CoE boundaries (506 of the 540,χ 2 = 886, p < 0.001) and fewer breaks within CoEs (94 of 619, χ 2 = 300, p < 0.001) than would be expected if there was equal probability of a genetic break occurring across CoE boundaries. Main conclusions: The evolutionary forces that have produced and maintained the exceptional plant diversity in the CFR appear to have operated at the population level, producing similar patterns of phylogeographic structuring of plant lineages regardless of life history or taxonomy. This tendency for Cape plants to exhibit shared patterns of spatially structured genetic diversity that match the distribution of endemic taxa may assist CFR phylogeographers to streamline sampling efforts and test novel hypotheses pertaining to the distribution of genetic diversity among CFR plant taxa. Additionally, the resolution at which CoEs are mapped should be refined, which may provide a valuable tool for future conservation planning and the development of precautionary guidelines for the translocation of genetic material during species reintroductions and commercial cultivation of Cape endemic crops. Thus, to answer the question "Do Centres of Endemism provide a spatial context for predicting and preserving plant phylogeographic patterns in the Cape Floristic Region, South Africa?"-yes CoEs do appear to be an important tool for Cape phylogeographers. However, the data is limited and more plant phylogeography work is needed in the CFR.

show abstract

Using phylogeography to define conservation priorities: The case of narrow endemic plants in the Mediterranean Basin hotspot

Cited by 62 publications

References 74 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?

Do Centres of Endemism provide a spatial context for predicting and preserving plant phylogeographic patterns in the Cape Floristic Region, South Africa?

Peer Review #2 of "Do Centres of Endemism provide a spatial context for predicting and preserving plant phylogeographic patterns in the Cape Floristic Region, South Africa? (v0.1)"

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About