Recovery process of genetic diversity through seed and pollen immigration at the northernmost leading‐edge population of Fagus crenata

Abstract

AbstractThe range expansion of a plant species begins with colonization of ecological empty patches from posterior source populations. This process involves stochastic loss of genetic diversity. However, the founder population could restore genetic diversity by gene flow from posterior populations via seeds and pollen and its recovery affects evolutionary potential for species expansion. To clarify the recovery process of genetic diversity during species range expansion, gene flow via seeds and pollen was investigated at the expansion front of Fagus crenata. Based on eight nuclear microsatellite genotypes of a total of 150 individuals and 225 seeds at the northernmost leading‐edge population, genetic diversity, fine‐scale spatial genetic structure (FSGS), and genetic differentiation from other five northern populations were investigated. Moreover, both seed and pollen immigration and their effects on genetic diversity at different successional stages were analyzed. The leading‐edge population showed lower genetic diversity and substantial genetic differentiation, reflecting its strong genetic drift. Non‐significant FSGS and a negative inbreeding coefficient for mature trees may indicate that the earliest generation consisted of founders from foreign seed sources. The significant proportion of seed and pollen immigration increased the number of different alleles for later successional stages. The effective number of pollen parents from foreign sources (20.8) was markedly higher than that from the local source (2.1). These results indicated that pollen immigration incorporated new and rare alleles and increased the genetic diversity of the population. However, the proportion of foreign gene flow decreased during succession, probably due to the increased reproductive success of local individuals as they reached maturity and grew in size.