Conserving the small milkwort, Comesperma polygaloides, a vulnerable subshrub in a fragmented landscape
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- 作者：Collin W. Ahrens ; Elizabeth A. James
- 刊名：Conservation Genetics
- 出版年：2016
- 出版时间：August 2016
- 年：2016
- 卷：17
- 期：4
- 页码：891-901
- 全文大小：1,045 KB
- 刊物类别：Biomedical and Life Sciences
- 刊物主题：Biomedicine
Human Genetics
Animal Anatomy, Morphology and Histology
Plant Sciences
Evolutionary Biology - 出版者：Springer Netherlands
- ISSN：1572-9737
- 卷排序：17
文摘
The conservation of remnant grassland vegetation on the Victorian volcanic plain (VVP) is crucial for the persistence of local biodiversity. Recent habitat loss has restricted the grassland to only a small percentage of its former range. Along with grassland habitats, species that occur on the VVP are in decline and many are legally protected. Comesperma polygaloides is a grassland species of the VVP that also occurs outside of the region in woodland habitats. We use 12 neutral microsatellite loci and two chloroplast regions to understand genotypic patterns of C. polygaloides in southeastern Australia. We found separate genetic clusters but they do not follow geographic boundaries. There are fewer alleles (2.96) and effective alleles (2.01) than expected from 12 microsatellite markers compared to other species. Even with the low number of alleles per locus there was a moderate level of genetic diversity detected (I = 0.69; Ho = 0.43; He = 0.40). Populations of the VVP could not be differentiated from populations elsewhere using neutral markers or chloroplast analyses. The genetic structure discovered was not consistent with the level of fragmentation observed. There may be several reasons for the observed lack of genetic structure: the species is more common than perceived, plants are long-lived and can reproduce clonally, and the bioregion is relatively young, geologically. Results indicate that restoration projects and long-term viability of C. polygaloides will be improved by composite seed sourcing, alleviating the risk of insufficient genetic diversity posed by an over-emphasis on local provenancing.KeywordsPopulation geneticsMicrosatellitesPolygalaceaeVictorian Volcanic PlainGrassland