Abstract
Seseli farrenyi (Apiaceae) is an extremely narrow endemic plant, which is considered as one of the species of most conservation concern in Catalonia (NW Mediterranean Basin). Given the accelerated fragmentation and reduction of population size (of over 90%), the environmental agency of Catalonia is currently preparing a recovery plan that includes reinforcements of the extant populations. The present study is aimed at providing the necessary knowledge to carry out genetically-informed translocations, by using microsatellites as genetic markers. Fourteen microsatellites have been specifically developed for S. farrenyi, of which nine have been used. Besides the extant natural populations, the three ex situ collections that are known to exist of this species have also been studied, as they would be the donor sources for translocation activities. Our main finding is that levels of genetic diversity in the natural populations of S. farrenyi are still high (He = 0.605), most likely as a result of a predominantly outcrossing mating system in combination with the limited time elapsed since the population decline. However, population fragmentation is showing the first genetic signs, as the values of genetic differentiation are relatively high, and two well-differentiated genetic lineages have been found even in such a narrow geographic range. These genetic results provide important information when designing conservation management measures.
Highlights
The 14 microsatellite markers characterized for S. farrenyi are the first developed for this species, and nine of them were used for population genetic studies reported in the present article
Some results should be treated with extreme caution (SES2 and ECM2 are below N = 10, which is the recommended minimum size to run the bottleneck tests), these genetic bottlenecks are in agreement with the demographic bottlenecks that have been observed for the last two decades, with reductions in the population size of up to 90% (Table 1)
Our main finding is that levels of genetic diversity in the natural populations of S. farrenyi are still high, in spite of its narrow range and its accelerated population decline
Summary
Surveying genetic data through neutral markers provides very detailed information that may have important conservation implications in plant species, including effective population size (Ne), mating systems, gene flow, clonal structure, colonization history, or the occurrence of evolutionarily significant units, among others. Genetic patterns should be central in management and recovery plans (Laikre, 2010; Ralls et al., 2018; Laikre et al, 2020). Detailed knowledge of the levels and genetic structure of plant. Genetic diversity and structure of the narrow endemic Seseli farrenyi (Apiaceae): implications for translocation. Leaving aside demographic considerations (Lande, 1988), in the absence of genetic data more populations would require protection or sampling for ex situ conservation, as a precaution, in order to preserve sufficient levels of genetic variability (Neel & Cummings, 2003)
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