TY - JOUR
T1 - Geographical context outweighs habitat disturbance effects in explaining mistletoe population genetic differentiation at a regional scale
AU - Fontúrbel, Francisco E.
AU - Rodríguez-Gómez, Gloria B.
AU - Orellana, José I.
AU - Cortés-Miranda, Jorge
AU - Rojas-Hernández, Noemí
AU - Vega-Retter, Caren
N1 - Funding Information:
We are grateful to the Chilean Forestry Corporation (CONAF), the Huilo Huilo Foundation, The Nature Conservancy (Valdivian Coastal Reserve), Oncol Park, Katalapi Park, Peumayén Park, Bernardo Eggers, David Carrasco and Raúl Las Casas for granting us access to the sampling sites and support of our research. We thank Andrzej Killian from Diversity Arrays and David Veliz for their advice with sample preparation. The comments of David Veliz, Stephan Funk and three anonymous reviewers improved an early version of the manuscript. Juan Manuel Rada made species illustrations. This research was funded by the ANID‐FONDECYT projects 11160152 and 1210166 (to F.E.F.) granted by the Chilean Agency of Research and Development (ANID). F.E.F. acknowledges the support of ANID – Millennium Science Initiative Program – NCN2021‐050.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 John Wiley & Sons Ltd
PY - 2022
Y1 - 2022
N2 - Genetic differentiation depends on ecological and evolutionary processes that operate at different spatial and temporal scales. While the geographical context is likely to determine large-scale genetic variation patterns, habitat disturbance events will probably influence small-scale genetic diversity and gene flow patterns. Therefore, the genetic diversity patterns that we observe today result from the combination of both processes, but they are rarely assessed simultaneously. We determined the population structure and genetic diversity of a hemiparasitic mistletoe (Tristerix corymbosus) from the temperate rainforests of southern Chile to determine the effects of geographical context and habitat disturbance at a regional scale and if it is affected by the abundance and occurrence of its seed disperser mutualist (the arboreal marsupial Dromiciops gliroides). We genotyped 359 individuals from 12 populations using single nucleotide polymorphisms, across three different geographical contexts and four disturbance conditions. We also used camera traps to estimate the abundance and occurrence of the seed disperser. Our results suggest that genetic differences among populations are related more to geographical context than to habitat disturbance. However, as disturbance increased, D. gliroides abundance and occurrence decreased, and mistletoe inbreeding index (FIS) increased. We also found highly uneven gene flow among study sites. Despite the high levels of disturbance that these temperate rainforests are facing, our results suggest that mistletoe genetic differentiation at a regional scale was more influenced by historical events. However, habitat disturbance can indirectly affect mistletoe population genetic differentiation via the seed dispersal process, which may increase levels of inbreeding.
AB - Genetic differentiation depends on ecological and evolutionary processes that operate at different spatial and temporal scales. While the geographical context is likely to determine large-scale genetic variation patterns, habitat disturbance events will probably influence small-scale genetic diversity and gene flow patterns. Therefore, the genetic diversity patterns that we observe today result from the combination of both processes, but they are rarely assessed simultaneously. We determined the population structure and genetic diversity of a hemiparasitic mistletoe (Tristerix corymbosus) from the temperate rainforests of southern Chile to determine the effects of geographical context and habitat disturbance at a regional scale and if it is affected by the abundance and occurrence of its seed disperser mutualist (the arboreal marsupial Dromiciops gliroides). We genotyped 359 individuals from 12 populations using single nucleotide polymorphisms, across three different geographical contexts and four disturbance conditions. We also used camera traps to estimate the abundance and occurrence of the seed disperser. Our results suggest that genetic differences among populations are related more to geographical context than to habitat disturbance. However, as disturbance increased, D. gliroides abundance and occurrence decreased, and mistletoe inbreeding index (FIS) increased. We also found highly uneven gene flow among study sites. Despite the high levels of disturbance that these temperate rainforests are facing, our results suggest that mistletoe genetic differentiation at a regional scale was more influenced by historical events. However, habitat disturbance can indirectly affect mistletoe population genetic differentiation via the seed dispersal process, which may increase levels of inbreeding.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85123071169&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1111/mec.16337
DO - 10.1111/mec.16337
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85123071169
JO - Molecular Ecology
JF - Molecular Ecology
SN - 0962-1083
ER -