Abstract
Background – Biodiversity loss is a problem that needs to be urgently addressed, particularly with the uncertainties of climate change. Current conservation policies principally focus on endangered species but they often give little consideration to the evolutionary processes, genetic diversity, or the rarity of non-endangered species. Endemic species occurring in rocky habitats that are undergoing exceptional habitat loss appear to be one of the most important candidates for conservation. The aim is to establish in situ and ex situ conservation recommendations for the Mediterranean endemic species Arenaria balearica.Material and methods – Arenaria balearica is a species endemic to the Mediterranean with a disjunct distribution range throughout Majorca, Corsica, Sardinia, and other small Tyrrhenian islands. A combination of molecular techniques (AFLPs and plastid DNA) was employed to determine genetic diversity and rarity across populations and to calculate the Relevant Genetic Units for Conservation (RGUCs). Moreover, Species Distribution Models (SDMs) were developed to assess the potential current distribution and the expected situation under future climatic scenarios.Key results – To preserve the genetic diversity and rarity of the species, in situ conservation is proposed for six populations as RGUCs. Moreover, as the RGUCs can only account for a part of the phylogeographic signal, ex situ conservation is also suggested for some additional populations. According to the results, the habitat suitability in the 2050 scenario is limited and suitable areas for A. balearica could have disappeared by 2070. Therefore, the persistence of the species could be in danger in a short period of time and conservation planning becomes necessary.
Highlights
The basis of biological diversity is found at the genetic level regardless of the conservation status of a species, i.e., endangered vs. non-endangered (Convention on Biological Diversity, Brazil 1992)
We propose to: (1) assess the number of populations that should be preserved in order to establish a representative percentage of the total genetic variation of A. balearica; (2) identify which populations should be prioritized to better represent the genetic singularity, paleogeographic history, and geographic variability for both ex situ and in situ conservation; and (3) evaluate climate change over the distribution range of A. balearica
The AFLP analysis revealed low levels of genetic diversity (Nei’s GD = 0.159), which together with the rarity levels found in A. balearica, is evidence of a genetic deterioration of the species
Summary
The basis of biological diversity is found at the genetic level regardless of the conservation status of a species, i.e., endangered vs. non-endangered (Convention on Biological Diversity, Brazil 1992). It is the genetic diversity that deserves to be preserved (IUCN 1993). Genetic diversity and rarity levels in widely distributed species are in many cases similar to those of endangered congeneric species (Gitzendanner & Soltis 2000). Conservation efforts often focus on the preservation of the endangered species in an attempt to avoid species extinction, the diversity and rarity conservation of non-endangered endemic species is important to ensure their long-term survival as they hold the evolutionary and adaptative potential of the species (Spielman et al 2004; Frankham 2005; O’Grady et al 2006; Kahilainen et al 2014).
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