Fine-scale spatial genetic structure study in contrasting landscapes as a tool for make management decisions in native forests: the case of cebil.

GONCALVES, A.L.; BARRANDEGUY, M.E.; ESCALADA, M.; GARCÍA, M.V.

Posadas

Conferencia; IUFRO Conference 2018 Posadas; 2018

IUFRO

Fine-scale spatial genetic structure (FSGS) in plants is mainly determined by the pollen and seed dispersal, which is strongly affected by both evolutionary and ecological processes. FSGS studies in forest tree species allow evaluating the influences of landscape configuration on pollen and seed movement. Here, we compared FSGS among natural populations of an insect-pollinated and gravity dispersed native forest tree species Anadenanthera colubrina var. cebil, which are localized in Calilegua National Park (CL) in Yungas province and Santa Ana (SA) in Paranaense province. Different levels of fragmentation and disturbance characterize the landscapes where these populations inhabit. In the South of Paranaense province, SA populations are located in a highly fragmented landscape in contrast to the relatively continuous CL populations. FSGS was evaluated based on pairwise kinship coefficients (Fij) at different distance classes in population fragments of SA and two sites of CL. Fij was positive and significantly different than expected at random only at first distance class (up to 154m) in CL populations. In SA population fragments, the kinship was significantly different than expected at random. In this sense, in SA FSGS was higher and stronger rather than in CL populations (F1= 0.077 ? 0.044; Sp = 0.022 - 0.016, respectively). This result might be explained by the formation of familiar units and the structure at the patch level in SA. The inbreeding coefficient was markedly higher in SA populations compared with CL populations (FIS= 0.34 and 0.15, respectively), which could be associated with an increase in the levels of mating between relatives within patches in the fragmented landscape. The results of this work could be relevant to conservation programs, highlighting the importance of protected areas to maintain gene flow among natural populations of A. colubrina var. cebil.