Barcoding plant hotspots in Patagonian Monte Desert

SOUTO, C. P.; MATHIASEN, P.; M. TADEY

GENOME

NATL RESEARCH COUNCIL CANADA-N R C RESEARCH PRESS

Lugar: Otawa; Año: 2015 vol. 58 p. 282 - 283

0831-2796

BackgroundUnder thecurrent biodiversity crisis, an approach used to prioritize areas forbiological conservation is the identification of ?biodiversity hotspots,? whichusually consist of large areas with exceptional concentrations of endemicspecies that are under threat due to habitat loss. In this study we used amethod that integrates Geographical Information with intraspecific geneticpolymorphism of species within a habitat type in order to identify genetichotspots and suggest priority areas for conservation. Genetic hotspots areareas where multiple species have high genetic diversity and/or contain uniquegenetic variants, and may be used to set conservation priorities. We tested thehypothesis that plants with similar ecological tolerances were similarly shapedby evolutionary forces, resulting in genetic hotspots.ResultsWe mapped barcodedgenetic diversity and unique variants of biparentally inherited markers andchloroplast sequences for 75 species of the dominant families of the PatagonianMonte Desert, an area highly threatened by anthropological activities. Spatialdistribution patterns of genetic polymorphisms differed among taxa according totheir ecological tolerances. Several genetic hotspots were mapped and werecommend conservation actions for some of them. SignificanceBiodiversityhotspots are defined at a coarse scale and are often based on richness,endemism, threat, or a combination of these?but to date have not incorporatedgenetic data. Preserving the evolutionary potential of species is a majorconcern in conservation, as it may allow them to respond to a changing climateand ensure long-term population persistence. Mapping genetic hotspots cancontribute to the design of effective conservation actions by detecting localareas with high genetic diversity, and the presence of unique gene variants?andthus presumably high evolutionary potential. Existing spatially explicit geneticdata from barcode of multiple species can help to identify biodiversityhotspots and guide conservation actions to establish science-based protectedareas that will preserve the evolutionary potential of key habitats andspecies.