Are the Remains of the Central European Population of Drepanocladus turgescens Genetically Distinct from Scandinavian Populations?

Abstract

Hedenas, L. & Bisang, I. 2019. Are the remains of the Central European population of Drepanocladus turgescens genetically distinct from Scandinavian populations? – Herzogia 32: 209–218.The wetland moss Drepanocladus turgescens occurs in interglacial refugia in both mountains and lowlands of Europe. It is relatively frequent in Scandinavia, but due to habitat deterioration, it has severely declined in Central Europe. We compare haplotype variation based on the nuclear markers ITS (1+2) and gpd, and the plastid rpl16 in 103 samples from both Scandinavia and Central Europe, including the Alps. The Central European population harbours five haplotypes that are unknown in NW Europe. It is genetically similar to southern Scandinavian populations, but differs clearly from the populations in the Scandinavian mountain range and on Svalbard. Despite that D. turgescens has disappeared from many lowland localities in Central Europe, haplotype numbers and diversity do not differ from values in Scandinavia. Central European nucleotide diversity is slightly lower than in Scandinavian populations. The high number of private haplotypes in a limited sample and the still high genetic diversity suggest that conservation measures in Central Europe are motivated. We suggest assessing the spatial and temporal genetic variation in Central Europe, to identify the regions with the highest genetic diversity, and those which genetic diversity has been lost compared to records from the beginning of the 20th Century. This will allow well-targeted and efficient conservation actions.