Abstract
Genetic diversity within species provides the raw material for adaptation and evolution. Just as regions of high species diversity are conservation targets, identifying regions containing high genetic diversity and divergence within and among populations may be important to protect future evolutionary potential. When multiple co-distributed species show spatial overlap in high genetic diversity and divergence, these regions can be considered evolutionary hotspots. We mapped spatial population genetic structure for 17 animal species across the Mojave Desert, USA. We analyzed these in concurrence and located 10 regions of high genetic diversity, divergence or both among species. These were mainly concentrated along the western and southern boundaries where ecotones between mountain, grassland and desert habitat are prevalent, and along the Colorado River. We evaluated the extent to which these hotspots overlapped protected lands and utility-scale renewable energy development projects of the Bureau of Land Management. While 30–40% of the total hotspot area was categorized as protected, between 3–7% overlapped with proposed renewable energy project footprints, and up to 17% overlapped with project footprints combined with transmission corridors. Overlap of evolutionary hotspots with renewable energy development mainly occurred in 6 of the 10 identified hotspots. Resulting GIS-based maps can be incorporated into ongoing landscape planning efforts and highlight specific regions where further investigation of impacts to population persistence and genetic connectivity may be warranted.
Highlights
The genetic diversity within a species represents a fundamental level of biodiversity
Average genetic diversity and divergence surfaces were assessed in combination with land status boundaries and USRED boundaries to determine if regions of high genetic divergence and diversity fell within lands we considered protected or at-risk, or within USRED project footprints or transmission corridors
We identified 10 locations with highest levels of genetic divergence (Table 2; Figure 3 labeled regions A-J)
Summary
The genetic diversity within a species represents a fundamental level of biodiversity. When regions of high genetic divergence and diversity overlap for multiple species, these can be considered to be evolutionary hotspots. Protection of these hotspots may be important for preserving the process of lineage diversification and may impart resilience to changing environmental conditions and selective pressures [21,22]. In the Mojave Desert for example, widespread development of utility scale renewable energy facilities, transmission corridors, and associated infrastructure has been proposed and is being implemented, and land use planning strategies that balance renewable energy production with other land use and conservation goals are currently being devised. GIS-based maps may inform current landscape-based planning efforts, and help direct future investigations to particular regions of interest in the Mojave Desert and bordering ecoregions
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