Herbivore corridors sustain genetic footprint in plant populations: a case for Spanish drove roads
Habitat fragmentation is one of the greatest threats to biodiversity conservation and ecosystem productivity mediated by direct human impact. Its consequences include genetic depauperation, comprising phenomena such as inbreeding depression or reduction in genetic diversity. While the capacity of wi...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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PeerJ Inc.
2019-07-01
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| Online Access: | https://peerj.com/articles/7311.pdf |
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| author | Alfredo García-Fernández Pablo Manzano Javier Seoane Francisco M. Azcárate Jose M. Iriondo Begoña Peco |
| author_facet | Alfredo García-Fernández Pablo Manzano Javier Seoane Francisco M. Azcárate Jose M. Iriondo Begoña Peco |
| author_sort | Alfredo García-Fernández |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Habitat fragmentation is one of the greatest threats to biodiversity conservation and ecosystem productivity mediated by direct human impact. Its consequences include genetic depauperation, comprising phenomena such as inbreeding depression or reduction in genetic diversity. While the capacity of wild and domestic herbivores to sustain long-distance seed dispersal has been proven, the impact of herbivore corridors in plant population genetics remains to be observed. We conducted this study in the Conquense Drove Road in Spain, where sustained use by livestock over centuries has involved transhumant herds passing twice a year en route to winter and summer pastures. We compared genetic diversity and inbreeding coefficients of Plantago lagopus populations along the drove road with populations in the surrounding agricultural matrix, at varying distances from human settlements. We observed significant differences in coefficients of inbreeding between the drove road and the agricultural matrix, as well as significant trends indicative of higher genetic diversity and population nestedness around human settlements. Trends for higher genetic diversity along drove roads may be present, although they were only marginally significant due to the available sample size. Our results illustrate a functional landscape with human settlements as dispersal hotspots, while the findings along the drove road confirm its role as a pollinator reservoir observed in other studies. Drove roads may possibly also function as linear structures that facilitate long-distance dispersal across the agricultural matrix, while local P. lagopus populations depend rather on short-distance seed dispersal. These results highlight the role of herbivore corridors for conserving the migration capacity of plants, and contribute towards understanding the role of seed dispersal and the spread of invasive species related to human activities. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T07:00:53Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-33445b214d0740d5aa78045da3ea2da0 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2167-8359 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T07:00:53Z |
| publishDate | 2019-07-01 |
| publisher | PeerJ Inc. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PeerJ |
| spelling | doaj.art-33445b214d0740d5aa78045da3ea2da02023-12-03T09:51:47ZengPeerJ Inc.PeerJ2167-83592019-07-017e731110.7717/peerj.7311Herbivore corridors sustain genetic footprint in plant populations: a case for Spanish drove roadsAlfredo García-Fernández0Pablo Manzano1Javier Seoane2Francisco M. Azcárate3Jose M. Iriondo4Begoña Peco5Área de Biodiversidad y Conservación, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Móstoles, Madrid, SpainCommission on Ecosystem Management, International Union for Conservation of Nature, Nairobi, KenyaTerrestrial Ecology Group—Departamento de Ecología, Centro de Investigación en Biodiversidad y Cambio Global (CIBC), Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, SpainTerrestrial Ecology Group—Departamento de Ecología, Centro de Investigación en Biodiversidad y Cambio Global (CIBC), Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, SpainÁrea de Biodiversidad y Conservación, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Móstoles, Madrid, SpainTerrestrial Ecology Group—Departamento de Ecología, Centro de Investigación en Biodiversidad y Cambio Global (CIBC), Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, SpainHabitat fragmentation is one of the greatest threats to biodiversity conservation and ecosystem productivity mediated by direct human impact. Its consequences include genetic depauperation, comprising phenomena such as inbreeding depression or reduction in genetic diversity. While the capacity of wild and domestic herbivores to sustain long-distance seed dispersal has been proven, the impact of herbivore corridors in plant population genetics remains to be observed. We conducted this study in the Conquense Drove Road in Spain, where sustained use by livestock over centuries has involved transhumant herds passing twice a year en route to winter and summer pastures. We compared genetic diversity and inbreeding coefficients of Plantago lagopus populations along the drove road with populations in the surrounding agricultural matrix, at varying distances from human settlements. We observed significant differences in coefficients of inbreeding between the drove road and the agricultural matrix, as well as significant trends indicative of higher genetic diversity and population nestedness around human settlements. Trends for higher genetic diversity along drove roads may be present, although they were only marginally significant due to the available sample size. Our results illustrate a functional landscape with human settlements as dispersal hotspots, while the findings along the drove road confirm its role as a pollinator reservoir observed in other studies. Drove roads may possibly also function as linear structures that facilitate long-distance dispersal across the agricultural matrix, while local P. lagopus populations depend rather on short-distance seed dispersal. These results highlight the role of herbivore corridors for conserving the migration capacity of plants, and contribute towards understanding the role of seed dispersal and the spread of invasive species related to human activities.https://peerj.com/articles/7311.pdfPlantago lagopusHerbivore corridorsLandscape geneticsDrove roadsPollinationSeed dispersal |
| spellingShingle | Alfredo García-Fernández Pablo Manzano Javier Seoane Francisco M. Azcárate Jose M. Iriondo Begoña Peco Herbivore corridors sustain genetic footprint in plant populations: a case for Spanish drove roads PeerJ Plantago lagopus Herbivore corridors Landscape genetics Drove roads Pollination Seed dispersal |
| title | Herbivore corridors sustain genetic footprint in plant populations: a case for Spanish drove roads |
| title_full | Herbivore corridors sustain genetic footprint in plant populations: a case for Spanish drove roads |
| title_fullStr | Herbivore corridors sustain genetic footprint in plant populations: a case for Spanish drove roads |
| title_full_unstemmed | Herbivore corridors sustain genetic footprint in plant populations: a case for Spanish drove roads |
| title_short | Herbivore corridors sustain genetic footprint in plant populations: a case for Spanish drove roads |
| title_sort | herbivore corridors sustain genetic footprint in plant populations a case for spanish drove roads |
| topic | Plantago lagopus Herbivore corridors Landscape genetics Drove roads Pollination Seed dispersal |
| url | https://peerj.com/articles/7311.pdf |
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