Abstract
Taiwan spruce (Picea morrisonicola) is a vulnerable conifer species endemic to the island of Taiwan. A warming climate and competition from subtropical tree species has limited the range of Taiwan spruce to the higher altitudes of the island. Using seeds sampled from an area in the central mountain range of Taiwan, 15 nuclear loci were sequenced in order to measure genetic variation and to assess the long-term genetic stability of the species. Genetic diversity is low and comparable to other spruce species with limited ranges such as Picea breweriana, Picea chihuahuana, and Picea schrenkiana. Importantly, analysis using approximate Bayesian computation (ABC) provides evidence for a drastic decline in the effective population size approximately 0.3–0.5 million years ago (mya). We used simulations to show that this is unlikely to be a false-positive result due to the limited sample used here. To investigate the phylogenetic origin of Taiwan spruce, additional sequencing was performed in the Chinese spruce Picea wilsonii and combined with previously published data for three other mainland China species, Picea purpurea, Picea likiangensis, and P. schrenkiana. Analysis of population structure revealed that P. morrisonicola clusters most closely with P. wilsonii, and coalescent analyses using the program MIMAR dated the split to 4–8 mya, coincidental to the formation of Taiwan. Considering the population decrease that occurred after the split, however, led to a much more recent origin.
Highlights
In the face of global warming, many species will either have to adapt to the new conditions, migrate to new suitable areas, or go extinct
The range and distribution of Taiwan spruce has changed with its surrounding environment and we aimed to look at the impact this change has had on genetic diversity
The foremost aims of this population genetic study of the endemic Taiwan spruce were to: (1) assess the genetic diversity in P. morrisonicola and compare it with the diversity of other spruce species of limited distributions, (2) identify the closest relative of P. morrisonicola and estimate the divergence time between these two species, and (3) quantify the impact of climate change on effective population sizes and assess the reliability of results obtained from a small sample
Summary
In the face of global warming, many species will either have to adapt to the new conditions, migrate to new suitable areas, or go extinct. Species confined to islands or other isolated geographic areas will have limited opportunities to migrate to new areas. The very same species will, due to their restricted geographic distribution range, often have small effective population sizes and have a limited ability to adapt to the new climate. An example of such a species is the Taiwan endemic (Picea morrisonicola Hay.), which occurs in a very restricted natural distribution range and is listed as “Vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) (Zhang et al 2013) due to overexploitation from logging.
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