Genetic structure after forest fragmentation: a landscape ecology perspective on Acer saccharum

1992 ◽  
Vol 70 (8) ◽  
pp. 1659-1668 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie A. Foré ◽  
R. James Hickey ◽  
John L. Vankat ◽  
Sheldon I. Guttman ◽  
Robert L. Schaefer

Fragmentation of large expanses of forests into small stands has isolated local populations of organisms. Sugar maple (Acer saccharum) was used to determine if the degree of forest fragment isolation affects genetic diversity and structure of local populations. Genetic data were collected from canopy (prefragmentation) and juvenile (postfragmentation) individuals in 15 woodlots. Genotypes were inferred from phenotypic enzyme patterns of seven enzymes representing eight loci extracted from cambium and resolved with starch gel electrophoresis. Analyses of allelic data indicated that genetic diversity was not significantly different between juvenile or canopy subdivisions, or between woodlots with low and high degrees of isolation. Genetic differentiation among woodlots was significantly greater for the canopy than for the juvenile subdivision. Estimates of gene flow indicate that postfragmentation gene flow rates are higher than prefragmentation rates. Apparently, sugar maple's high potential for long-distance gene flow is enhanced by altered wind flux across a fragmented landscape. The results also show that forest fragmentation does not always result in greater isolation of local populations. Key words: sugar maple, gene flow, conservation, isolation, allozymes.

1994 ◽  
Vol 72 (9) ◽  
pp. 1311-1315 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandhya R. Ballal ◽  
Stephanie A. Foré ◽  
Sheldon I. Guttman

Genetic data were collected for glucose-6-phosphate isomerase locus 2 from a sample of the Acer saccharum Marsh. (sugar maple) embryo subpopulations of four forested patches in southwest Ohio and compared with the juvenile (1st-year seedlings to individuals ≤ 1.0 cm in basal area) and canopy (≥ 30 cm in diameter at breast height) subpopulations. Apparent gene flow into each patch was observed as certain alleles found in the embryo subpopulation were not observed in the canopy subpopulation. Genotype frequency data indicated that at least some of the gene flow could be attributed to seed dispersal. Although in some patches, the embryo subpopulation had lower genetic diversity than other subpopulations and was genetically differentiated, it is unlikely that these observed differences represent a change in the genetic diversity of future juvenile subpopulations. Key words: sugar maple, gene flow, genetic diversity, allozyme, forest fragmentation, seed dispersal.


2019 ◽  
Vol 67 (2SUPL) ◽  
pp. S95-S111 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wendy Solís-Hernández ◽  
Eric-J. Fuchs

In tropical trees, forest fragmentation has been shown to affect mating and gene flow patterns. Mobile dispersal vectors should be less sensitive to fragmented landscapes and may ameliorate the genetic effects of forest fragmentation on plant populations. To test this hypothesis, we analyzed gene flow patterns in Symphonia globulifera, a tropical tree species with highly mobile pollinators and seed dispersers in the Osa Peninsula in southern Costa Rica. We used microsatellites to study genetic diversity and realized gene flow patterns between a continuous forest and a forest fragment. We found high levels of genetic diversity in adults and seedlings at both sites. Parentage analyses suggest near-neighbor matings and frequent long-distance gene flow events. Half the progeny beneath an adult was not sired by that tree and the majority of established seedlings were the result of long-distance gene dispersal. Gene flow from the forest into the fragment was more common than from the fragment into the continuous forests. Despite long distance gene flow events, seedling spatial genetic structure was stronger and extended further in the forest fragment likely due to limited seed dispersal. We conclude that fragmentation affects gene flow in this tropical tree and may compromise its genetic diversity in forest fragments even for a species with mobile pollen and seed vectors.


Genes ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 97 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaofeng Chi ◽  
Faqi Zhang ◽  
Qingbo Gao ◽  
Rui Xing ◽  
Shilong Chen

The uplift of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP) had a profound impact on the plant speciation rate and genetic diversity. High genetic diversity ensures that species can survive and adapt in the face of geographical and environmental changes. The Tanggula Mountains, located in the central of the QTP, have unique geographical significance. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of the Tanggula Mountains as a geographical barrier on plant genetic diversity and structure by using Lancea tibetica. A total of 456 individuals from 31 populations were analyzed using eight pairs of microsatellite makers. The total number of alleles was 55 and the number per locus ranged from 3 to 11 with an average of 6.875. The polymorphism information content (PIC) values ranged from 0.2693 to 0.7761 with an average of 0.4378 indicating that the eight microsatellite makers were efficient for distinguishing genotypes. Furthermore, the observed heterozygosity (Ho), the expected heterozygosity (He), and the Shannon information index (I) were 0.5277, 0.4949, and 0.9394, respectively, which indicated a high level of genetic diversity. We detected high genetic differentiation among all sampling sites and restricted gene flow among populations. Bayesian-based cluster analysis (STRUCTURE), principal coordinates analysis (PCoA), and Neighbor-Joining (NJ) cluster analysis based on microsatellite markers grouped the populations into two clusters: the southern branch and the northern branch. The analysis also detected genetic barriers and restricted gene flow between the two groups separated by the Tanggula Mountains. This study indicates that the geographical isolation of the Tanggula Mountains restricted the genetic connection and the distinct niches on the two sides of the mountains increased the intraspecific divergence of the plants.


2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhe Zhang ◽  
Stephan W. Gale ◽  
Ji-Hong Li ◽  
Gunter A. Fischer ◽  
Ming-Xun Ren ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Gene flow in plants via pollen and seeds is asymmetrical at different geographic scales. Orchid seeds are adapted to long-distance wind dispersal but pollinium transfer is often influenced by pollinator behavior. We combined field studies with an analysis of genetic diversity among 155 physically mapped adults and 1105 F1 seedlings to evaluate the relative contribution of pollen and seed dispersal to overall gene flow among three sub-populations of the food-deceptive orchid Phalaenopsis pulcherrima on Hainan Island, China. Results Phalaenopsis pulcherrima is self-sterile and predominantly outcrossing, resulting in high population-level genetic diversity, but plants are clumped and exhibit fine-scale genetic structuring. Even so, we detected low differentiation among sub-populations, with polynomial regression analysis suggesting gene flow via seed to be more restricted than that via pollen. Paternity analysis confirmed capsules of P. pulcherrima to each be sired by a single pollen donor, probably in part facilitated by post-pollination stigma obfuscation, with a mean pollen flow distance of 272.7 m. Despite limited sampling, we detected no loss of genetic diversity from one generation to the next. Conclusions Outcrossing mediated by deceptive pollination and self-sterility promote high genetic diversity in P. pulcherrima. Long-range pollinia transfer ensures connectivity among sub-populations, offsetting the risk of genetic erosion at local scales.


2007 ◽  
Vol 362 (1482) ◽  
pp. 987-996 ◽  
Author(s):  
Feng Zhang ◽  
Bing Su ◽  
Ya-ping Zhang ◽  
Li Jin

East Asia is one of the most important regions for studying evolution and genetic diversity of human populations. Recognizing the relevance of characterizing the genetic diversity and structure of East Asian populations for understanding their genetic history and designing and interpreting genetic studies of human diseases, in recent years researchers in China have made substantial efforts to collect samples and generate data especially for markers on Y chromosomes and mtDNA. The hallmark of these efforts is the discovery and confirmation of consistent distinction between northern and southern East Asian populations at genetic markers across the genome. With the confirmation of an African origin for East Asian populations and the observation of a dominating impact of the gene flow entering East Asia from the south in early human settlement, interpretation of the north–south division in this context poses the challenge to the field. Other areas of interest that have been studied include the gene flow between East Asia and its neighbouring regions (i.e. Central Asia, the Sub-continent, America and the Pacific Islands), the origin of Sino-Tibetan populations and expansion of the Chinese.


2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric J Fuchs ◽  
Allan Meneses Martínez ◽  
Amanda Calvo ◽  
Melania Muñoz ◽  
Griselda Arrieta-Espinoza

Wild crop relatives are an important source of genetic diversity for crop improvement. However, gene flow from cultivated species into wild species may prove detrimental. Introgression may lead to changes in wild species by incorporating alleles from domesticated species, which may increase the likelihood of extinction. The objective of the present study is to analyze how genetic diversity is distributed within and among populations of the wild rice species Oryza glumaepatula in Costa Rica. We also evaluated if there is evidence of introgression between wild rice and commercial varieties of O. sativa since it is cultivated commonly in close proximity to wild rice populations. Individuals from all known O. glumaepatula populations in Costa Rica were collected. With the aid of 455 AFLP markers, we characterized the genetic diversity and structure among seven populations in northern Costa Rica. Given the dominant nature of our markers, Bayesian estimates of genetic structure were used. We also compared genetic diversity estimates between O. glumaepatula individuals and O. sativa commercial rice. Our results show that O. glumaepatula populations in Costa Rica have moderately high levels of genetic diversity, comparable to those found in South American populations. This is likely a result of large population size. Despite the restricted distributions of this wild species, in Costa Rica most populations are composed of several thousand individuals, thus reducing the effects of drift on genetic diversity. Our results also found low but significant structure (\theta=0.03±0.001) among populations that are separated by ~10 Km within a single river. The position of the population along the river did not influence genetic diversity estimates or differences among populations. This river does not have a strong current and meadows or seeds may easily move upstream, thus homogenizing genetic diversity across populations regardless of river position. Ample gene flow through pollen, seeds or detached culms within the same river reduces genetic structure. A Bayesian structure analysis showed that individuals from two populations share a significant proportion of their genomes with O. sativa genome. These results suggest that the low levels of genetic structure found in these populations are likely the result of introgression from cultivated O. sativa populations. These results expose an important biohazard as recurrent hybridization may reduce genetic diversity of this wild rice species. Introgression may transfer commercial traits into the only populations of O. glumaepatula in Costa Rica, which in turn could alter genetic diversity and increase the likelihood of local extinction. These results have important implications for in situ conservation strategies of the only wild populations of O. glumaepatula in Costa Rica.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Filipa Moutinho ◽  
Nina Serén ◽  
Joana Paupério ◽  
Teresa Luísa Silva ◽  
Fernando Martínez-Freiría ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Evidence suggests that complex paleoclimatic and geological events help shape species distributions, thus affecting their evolutionary history. In Sahara-Sahel, climatic oscillations shifted the desert extent during the Pliocene-Pleistocene interval, triggering the diversification of several species. Here, we investigated how these biogeographical and ecological events have shaped patterns of genetic diversity and divergence in African Jerboas, desert specialist species. We focused on two sister and cryptic species, Jaculus jaculus and J. hirtipes , where we (1) evaluated their genetic differentiation, (2) reconstructed their evolutionary and demographic history; (3) tested the level of gene flow between them, and (4) assessed their ecological niche divergence. Results The analyses based on 231 individuals sampled throughout North Africa, 8 sequence fragments (one mitochondrial and seven single copy nuclear DNA, including two candidate genes for fur coloration: MC1R and Agouti ), 6 microsatellite markers and ecological modelling revealed: (1) two distinct genetic lineages with overlapping distributions, in agreement with their classification as different taxa, J. jaculus and J. hirtipes , with (2) low levels of gene flow and strong species delimitation, (3) high genetic diversity but no apparent geographic population structure within species, suggesting long-distance migration between remote locations, and (4) low level of large-scale ecological divergence between the two taxa, suggesting species micro-habitat specialization. Conclusions Overall, our results suggest a speciation event that occurred during the Pliocene-Pleistocene transition. The contemporary distribution of genetic variation suggests ongoing population expansions, demonstrating the ability of these species for fast and long-range dispersal. Despite the largely overlapping distributions at a macrogeographic scale, our genetic results suggest that the two species remain reproductively isolated, as only negligible levels of gene flow were observed. The overlapping ecological preferences at a macro-geographic scale and the ecological divergence at the micro-habitat scale suggest that local adaptation may have played a crucial role in the speciation process of these species.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document