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Environmental Data Do Not Correlate With Plant Genetic Diversity in Alpine Ecosystems
J L Blanco-Pastor1, J Fajardo2, A G Fernández de Castro2
1Departamento de Biología IVAGRO, Universidad de Cádiz, Campus de Excelencia Internacional Agroalimentario (ceiA3) Cádiz Spain.
Ecology and Evolution
|May 9, 2025
Summary
Protecting genetic diversity in European alpine plants is crucial for climate change adaptation. Environmental factors, particularly topography, showed minimal impact on genetic diversity across most species, highlighting the need for species-specific conservation strategies.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Evolutionary Biology
- Conservation Genetics
Background:
- Genetic diversity is vital for species adaptation to environmental changes, especially climate change.
- Alpine ecosystems face significant threats from global warming, necessitating conservation of genetic resources.
- Genetic diversity is often overlooked in conservation due to assessment challenges.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between environmental factors and genetic diversity in European alpine plant species.
- To identify key environmental predictors influencing genetic diversity and rarity.
- To inform conservation strategies for high mountain ecosystems under climate change.
Main Methods:
- Analyzed Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism (AFLP) data from 309 populations of 14 European alpine plant species.
- Utilized LASSO models and univariate linear regressions to assess associations between genetic diversity and 48 environmental factors (climate, soil, topography).
- Investigated species-specific responses and spatial autocorrelation between genetic diversity and environmental variables.
Main Results:
- Topographic profile curvature (pcurv) showed minimal but significant effects on overall heterozygosity and genetic rarity (r²=0.022, r²=0.017).
- Species-specific analyses revealed significant associations only for *Saponaria pumila* and *Androsace vitaliana* with pcurv.
- No general environmental drivers were found for genetic diversity distribution across most European alpine plants, suggesting limited influence of broad environmental factors.
Conclusions:
- Environmental factors, particularly topography, generally do not strongly drive genetic diversity patterns in European alpine plants.
- Conservation efforts require species-specific data and detailed assessments of genetic markers.
- Prioritizing genetic diversity protection is essential for high mountain ecosystems to meet global biodiversity targets.
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