Differential effects of landscape-level environmental features on genetic structure in three codistributed tree species in Central America

The complex geological history of Central America has been useful for understanding the processes influencing the distribution and diversity of multiple groups of organisms. Anurans are an excellent choice for such studies because they typically exhibit site fidelity and reduced movement. The objective of this work was to identify the impact of recognized geographic barriers on the genetic structure, phylogeographic patterns and divergence times of a wide-ranging amphibian species,Hyalinobatrachium fleischmanni. We amplified three mitochondrial regions, two coding (COI and ND1) and one ribosomal (16S), in samples collected from the coasts of Veracruz and Guerrero in Mexico to the humid forests of Chocó in Ecuador. We examined the biogeographic history of the species through spatial clustering analyses (Geneland and sPCA), Bayesian and maximum likelihood reconstructions, and spatiotemporal diffusion analysis. Our data suggest a Central American origin ofH. fleischmanniand two posterior independent dispersals towards North and South American regions. The first clade comprises individuals from Colombia, Ecuador, Panama and the sister speciesHyalinobatrachium tatayoi; this clade shows little structure, despite the presence of the Andes mountain range and the long distances between sampling sites. The second clade consists of individuals from Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and eastern Honduras with no apparent structure. The third clade includes individuals from western Honduras, Guatemala, and Mexico and displays deep population structure. Herein, we synthesize the impact of known geographic areas that act as barriers to glassfrog dispersal and demonstrated their effect of differentiatingH. fleischmanniinto three markedly isolated clades. The observed genetic structure is associated with an initial dispersal event from Central America followed by vicariance that likely occurred during the Pliocene. The southern samples are characterized by a very recent population expansion, likely related to sea-level and climatic oscillations during the Pleistocene, whereas the structure of the northern clade has probably been driven by dispersal through the Isthmus of Tehuantepec and isolation by the Motagua–Polochic–Jocotán fault system and the Mexican highlands.

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Are patterns of fine-scale spatial genetic structure consistent between sites within tropical tree species?

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0193501 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 13 (3) ◽

pp. e0193501

Author(s):

James R. Smith ◽

Jaboury Ghazoul ◽

David F. R. P. Burslem ◽

Akira Itoh ◽

Eyen Khoo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Genetic Structure ◽

Tree Species ◽

Spatial Genetic Structure ◽

Tropical Tree ◽

Fine Scale ◽

Tropical Tree Species

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Comparative landscape genetics reveals differential effects of environment on host and pathogen genetic structure in Tasmanian devils ( Sarcophilus harrisii ) and their transmissible tumour

Molecular Ecology ◽

10.1111/mec.15558 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 29 (17) ◽

pp. 3217-3233

Author(s):

Christopher P. Kozakiewicz ◽

Lauren Ricci ◽

Austin H. Patton ◽

Amanda R. Stahlke ◽

Sarah A. Hendricks ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Genetic Structure ◽

Landscape Genetics ◽

Differential Effects ◽

Sarcophilus Harrisii

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Breeding system, gene dispersal and small-scale spatial genetic structure of a threatened food tree species, Pentadesma butyracea (Clusiaceae) in Benin

Conservation Genetics ◽

10.1007/s10592-017-0928-8 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 18 (4) ◽

pp. 799-811 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

E. B. K. Ewédjè ◽

A. Ahanchédé ◽

O. J. Hardy

Keyword(s):

Genetic Structure ◽

Breeding System ◽

Tree Species ◽

Spatial Genetic Structure ◽

Small Scale ◽

Gene Dispersal ◽

Pentadesma Butyracea

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Impacts of gene flow and logging history on the local genetic structure of a scattered tree species, Sorbus torminalis L. Crantz

Molecular Ecology ◽

10.1111/j.1365-294x.2004.02373.x ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 13 (12) ◽

pp. 3689-3702 ◽

Cited By ~ 51

Author(s):

SYLVIE ODDOU-MURATORIO ◽

BRIGITTE DEMESURE-MUSCH ◽

RAPHAËL PÉLISSIER ◽

PIERRE-HENRI GOUYON

Keyword(s):

Gene Flow ◽

Genetic Structure ◽

Tree Species ◽

Sorbus Torminalis

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Population genetic structure of an extremely logged tree species Guaiacum sanctum L. in the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico

Botanical Sciences ◽

10.17129/botsci.278 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 94 (2) ◽

pp. 345 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Ken Oyama ◽

Miguel Martínez-Ramos ◽

Juan Manuel Peñaloza-Ramírez ◽

Víctor Rocha-Ramírez ◽

Esmeralda G. Armenta-Medina ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Genetic Structure ◽

Population Genetic Structure ◽

Tree Species ◽

Population Genetic ◽

Yucatan Peninsula ◽

Yucatán Peninsula ◽

Guaiacum Sanctum

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The complete chloroplast genome of Fagus crenata (subgenus Fagus) and comparison with F. engleriana (subgenus Engleriana)

10.7287/peerj.preprints.27473 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

James Worth ◽

Luxian Liu ◽

Nobuhiro Tomaru

Keyword(s):

Genetic Structure ◽

Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms ◽

Chloroplast Genome ◽

Tree Species ◽

Fagus Crenata ◽

Nucleotide Polymorphisms ◽

Single Nucleotide ◽

Variable Regions ◽

Complete Chloroplast Genome ◽

Genetic Structure And Diversity

This study reports the whole chloroplast genome of Fagus crenata (subgenus Fagus), a foundation tree species of Japanese temperate forests. The genome was a total of 158,247 bp in length containing 111 genes. Comparison with the only other published Fagus chloroplast genome, F. engeleriana (subgenus Engleriana) shows that the genomes are relatively conserved with no inversions or rearrangements observed between them and differing by 311 single nucleotide polymorphisms. The six most variable regions between the two genomes were the psbK-psbI, trnG-psbfM, trnV, rpl32, ndhD-psaC and ndhI-ndh regions. These highly variable chloroplast regions and the identification of 42 variable chloroplast SSRs found to be shared between the two species will provide useful genetic resources for studies of the inter- and intra-specific genetic structure and diversity of this important northern hemisphere tree genus.

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Chicago’s Urban Cemeteries as Habitat for Cavity-Nesting Birds

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su11123258 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (12) ◽

pp. 3258 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Alexis D. Smith ◽

Emily Minor

Keyword(s):

Tree Species ◽

Local Level ◽

Bird Species ◽

Canopy Cover ◽

Bird Species Richness ◽

Individual Bird ◽

Tree Cavities ◽

Cavity Nesting ◽

Naturally Occurring ◽

Landscape Level

Although not explicitly managed for conservation, urban cemeteries may provide a reserve of dead and dying trees for cavity-nesting birds. However, the ability of urban cemeteries to support these birds on current landscapes is largely unknown. We surveyed cavity-nesting birds and their habitat in 18 cemeteries in Chicago, Illinois (USA). At each location, we examined vegetation, availability of gravestones and monuments for perches, and landscape-level environmental conditions. We tested the importance of these variables for presence of individual bird species, and for overall richness of native cavity-nesting birds. We also assessed the availability and characteristics of tree cavities and their distribution among different tree species. We found that most cemeteries contained at least one dead or dying tree. Across all sampled areas, we detected 207 naturally-occurring and 77 excavated tree cavities. Tree species generally supported cavities in proportion to their abundance. We observed 12 native and two non-native cavity-nesting bird species in the cemeteries. Cavity-nesting bird species richness was best explained by landscape-level variables such as canopy cover and distance to water, but local-level variables (e.g., number of graves in a 50 m radius) influenced habitat selection for some species. Based on our results, we make suggestions for how both existing cemeteries and new “green” cemeteries can support biodiversity conservation.

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Analyzing the Relationship, Distribution of Tree Species Diversity, and Above-Ground Biomass on the Chitwan-Annapurna Landscape in Nepal

International Journal of Forestry Research ◽

10.1155/2020/2789753 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 2020 ◽

pp. 1-10

Author(s):

Shiva Pokhrel ◽

Chungla Sherpa

Keyword(s):

Species Diversity ◽

Sea Level ◽

Tree Species ◽

Diversity Index ◽

Tree Species Diversity ◽

Above Ground Biomass ◽

Breast Height ◽

Ground Biomass ◽

The Relationship ◽

Landscape Level

Forests provide numerous ecosystem goods and services. Their roles are considered as important for both climate mitigation and adaptation program. In Nepal, there are significant forest resources which are distributed in different regions; however, the studies on the spatial tree species distribution and the above-ground biomass and their relationship at the landscape level have not been well studied. This study aims to analyze the relationship, distribution of tree species diversity, and above-ground biomass at a landscape level. The data used for this study were obtained from the Forest Research and Training Center of Nepal, International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), and Worldwide Wildlife Fund (WWF-Nepal). The landscape has a mean of 191.89 tons ha−1 of the above-ground biomass. The highest amount of the above-ground biomass measured was 650 tons ha−1 with 96 individual trees, and the least was 3.428 tons ha−1. The measured mean height of the tree was 11.77 m, and diameter at breast height (DBH) was 18.59 cm. In the case of the spatial distribution of the above-ground biomass, plots distributed at the middle altitude range greater than 900 meters above sea level (m. a. s. l) to 3000 meters above sea level taking more amount of the above-ground biomass (AGB). Similarly, the highest plot-level Shannon diversity index (H’) was 2.75 with an average of 0.96 at the middle altitude region followed by the lower region with an average of 0.89 and least 0.87 at a higher elevation. Above-ground biomass (R2 = 0.48) and tree height (R2 = 0.506) significantly increased with increasing elevation up to a certain level increased of elevation. Diameter at breast height (DBH) showed significance (R2 = 0.364) but small increase with increasing elevation, while the relationship among tree species diversity index, above-ground biomass, and elevation showed a weak and very weak positive relationship with R2 = 0.018 and R2 = 0.002, respectively. Based on the overall results, it is concluded that elevation has some level of influence on the forest tree diversity and above-ground biomass. The finding of this study could be useful for landscape-level resource management and planning under various changes.

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