Geneettinen monimuotoisuus ja sen laajennetut vaikutukset : pirstoutuneet tammipopulaatiot Lounais-Suomessa

Genetic variation within a population is shaped by the life history traits of the species and the properties of the surrounding ecosystem. It is an important factor in the preservation of populations. According to the emerging field of community genetics, genetic variation within a population of one species may also influence the dynamics and diversity of associated species, extending the conservational relevance of intraspecific genetic diversity. Finnish populations of pedunculate oak (Quercus robur) offer an interesting study system for population genetics. Q. robur grows in south-western Finland at the northern limit of its natural range. Here, its distribution has been shaped by long-term climatic and geological changes as well as by human disturbance, and the current populations are small and strongly fragmented. As Q. robur supports a high diversity of associated species, it is considered to have great ecological and conservational importance. In this thesis, I studied the amount and distribution of genetic diversity within and among three Q. robur populations in south-western Finland using population genetic parameters. I also described the spatial and temporal sub-population structure of one population, on the island of Wattkast. The genetic data was based on 15 nuclear microsatellite loci. Additionally, I examined the effect of the genetic diversity and genotypic identity of the oaks within Wattkast on associated herbivore communities. In the analysis, I used observational data from two years. As predicted for widespread, long-lived tree species, the microsatellite loci showed high levels of diversity within the populations, but also significant differentiation among them. This may be due to fragmentation and to the marginality of the populations. Within the population on Wattkast, I observed patterns of spatial and temporal sub-population differentiation. The characteristics of the site, including the ongoing shift to less extensive land use, suggest that the population is in genetic disequilibrium. As both the genetic distance and the community dissimilarity between pairs of trees increased with increasing geographic distance, I could not conclude the genotypic identity of the host trees to have an effect on the herbivore community structure. However, higher heterozygosity was associated with higher richness and abundance of species. This result supports the notion that intraspecific genetic variation may increase associated species richness. Based on the results of my study, both the life history traits of the species and the historic habitat changes may be observed in the genetic structure of Q. robur populations in Finland. The results also suggest that preservation of genetic variation within the remaining stands may be a factor not only in the preservation of these populations, but also in the conservation of associated species diversity.Populaation sisäisen perinnöllisen muuntelun määrään vaikuttavat lajin elinkierron piirteet sekä ympäröivän ekosysteemin ominaisuudet. Perinnöllinen muuntelu on tärkeää populaation säilymisen kannalta. Genetiikkaa, evolutiikkaa ja yhteisöekologiaa yhdistelevän teorian mukaan yhden lajin sisäinen perinnöllinen muuntelu voi vaikuttaa myös assosioituneiden lajien dynamiikkaan, mikä laajentaa lajinsisäisen geneettisen monimuotoisuuden suojelullista merkitystä. Suomalaiset tammipopulaatiot tarjoavat hyvän kohteen populaatiogeneettiselle tutkimukselle. Metsätammi (Quercus robur) kasvaa Lounais-Suomessa luontaisen esiintymisalueensa pohjoisrajalla. Pitkäaikaiset ilmastolliset ja geologiset muutokset sekä viime vuosisatoina ihmisen toiminta ovat muovanneet lajin esiintymispaikkoja voimakkaasti, ja nykyiset populaatiot ovat verraten pieniä ja pirstoutuneita. Tammella elää suuri kirjo muita lajeja. Tässä työssä tutkin perinnöllisen muuntelun määrää ja jakautumista kolmen lounaissuomalaisen tammipopulaation sisällä ja välillä käyttäen populaatiogeneettisiä tunnuslukuja. Kuvailin myös yhden populaation (Wattkastin saarella) sisäistä geneettistä rakennetta tutkimalla muuntelun jakautumista populaation sisällä sekä tilassa että ajassa. Geneettinen aineisto oli määritelty 15 mikrosatelliittilokuksen perusteella. Lisäksi tutkin Wattkastin saarella kasvavien puiden geneettisen monimuotoisuuden ja genotyypin vaikutusta puilla eläviin kasvinsyöjäyhteisöihin. Analyysissä käytin havaintoaineistoa kahdelta vuodelta. Havaitsemani populaatioiden sisäinen geneettinen monimuotoisuus oli korkeaa, mikä on tyypillistä pitkäikäiselle, tehokkaasti leviävälle lajille. Toisaalta populaatioiden välinen eriytyminen oli myös merkittävää. Tämä selittynee suomalaisten tammipopulaatioiden pirstoutuneisuudella ja sijainnilla lajin levinneisyysalueen reunalla. Wattkastin populaatiossa havaitsin populaation sisäistä maantieteellistä ja ajallista eriytymistä. Lajin ominaisuuksien sekä alueen piirteiden perusteella pidän todennäköisenä, että populaatio on geneettisessä epätasapainossa. Koska sekä puiden väliset geneettiset etäisyydet että niiden hyönteisyhteisöjen erilaisuus kasvoivat maantieteellisten etäisyyksien kasvaessa, en voinut päätellä isäntäpuiden genotyypillä olevan vaikutusta kasvinsyöjäyhteisöiden rakenteeseen. Puiden heterotsygotian, joka kuvaa yksilön geneettistä monimuotoisuutta, sen sijaan havaitsin lisäävän niillä esiintyvien kasvinsyöjälajien monimuotoisuutta ja yksilörunsautta. Tulosteni perusteella sekä lajin elinkierron piirteet että elinympäristöjen historialliset muutokset ovat havaittavissa suomalaisten tammipopulaatioiden geneettisessä rakenteessa. Lisäksi tulokseni viittaavat siihen, että kantojen sisäisen perinnöllisen muuntelun säilymisellä voi olla merkitystä paitsi tammipopulaatioiden myös niillä elävien lajien monimuotoisuuden suojelussa

Forest multifunctionality is not resilient to intensive forestry

There is ample evidence that intensive management of ecosystems causes declines in biodiversity as well as in multiple ecosystem services, i.e., in multifunctionality. However, less is known about the permanence and reversibility of these responses. To gain insight into whether multifunctionality can be sustained under intensive management, we developed a framework building on the concept of resilience: a system's ability to avoid displacement and to return or transform to a desired state. We applied it to test the ability of forest multifunctionality to persist during and recover from intensive management for timber production in a boreal forest. Using forest growth simulations and multiobjective optimization, we created alternative future paths where the forest was managed for maximal timber production, for forest multifunctionality, or first maximal timber production and then multifunctionality. We show that forest multifunctionality is substantially diminished under intensive forestry and recovers the slower, the longer intensive forestry has been continued. Intensive forestry thus not only reduces forest multifunctionality but hinders its recovery should management goals change, i.e., weakens its resilience. The results suggest a need to adjust ecosystem management according to long-term sustainability goals already today

Quantifying and resolving conservation conflicts in forest landscapes via multiobjective optimization

Environmental planning for of the maintenance of different conservation objectives should take into account multiple contrasting criteria based on alternative uses of the landscape. We develop new concepts and approaches to describe and measure conflicts among conservation objectives and for resolving them via multiobjective optimization. To measure conflicts we introduce a compatibility index that quantifies how much targeting a certain conservation objective affects the capacity of the landscape for providing another objective. To resolve such conflicts we find compromise solutions defined in terms of minimax regret, i.e. minimizing the maximum percentage of deterioration among conservation objectives. Finally, we apply our approach for a case study of management for biodiversity conservation and development in a forest landscape. We study conflicts between six different forest species, and we identify management solutions for simultaneously maintaining multiple species’ habitat while obtaining timber harvest revenues. We employ the method for resolving conflicts at a large landscape level across a long 50-years forest planning horizon. Our multiobjective approach can be an instrument for guiding hard choices in the conservation-development nexus with a perspective of developing decision support tools for land use planning. In our case study multiple use management and careful landscape level planning using our approach can reduce conflicts among biodiversity objectives and offer room for synergies in forest ecosystems.peerReviewe

Genetic diversity and connectivity shape herbivore load within an oak population at its range limit

Host genetic diversity and genotypic identity have been reported to affect the abundance, species richness and species diversity of associated herbivore communities. Recent work, however, suggests that these effects are highly context-dependent and that the magnitude and direction of the effects may vary with e.g., spatial factors and the amount of genetic variation present in the host population. Here, we use observational data on a Finnish oak (Quercus robur) population to examine whether low genetic diversity within peripheral populations reduces the impact of host genotype on associated herbivore communities. We first compared measures of genetic variation within Finnish oak populations with those recorded in more central parts of the species' range, confirming that genetic variation within the Finnish populations is comparatively low. Despite this result, we found consistent imprints of host genetic diversity on herbivore communities: herbivore load, but not the species richness, increased with host genetic diversity in both years and both spatial scales examined. Spatial connectivity of hosts increased herbivore diversity as well as abundance. While the similarity of herbivore communities increased with the genetic similarity among hosts, the effect of geographic distance was stronger. Overall, our findings identify a major role for spatial context in structuring oak-associated herbivore communities-but we still trace detectable imprints of host genotype at multiple spatial scales even in this peripheral, genetically impoverished oak population.Peer reviewe

Fragmentation-related patterns of genetic differentiation in pedunculate oak (Quercus robur) at two hierarchical scales

Populations at species' range margins are expected to show lower genetic diversity than populations at the core of the range. Yet, long-lived, widespread tree species are expected to be resistant to genetic impoverishment, thus showing comparatively high genetic diversity within populations and low differentiation among populations. Here, we study the distribution of genetic variation in the pedunculate oak (Quercus robur L.) at its range margin in Finland at two hierarchical scales using 15 microsatellite loci. At a regional scale, we compared variation within versus among three oak populations. At a landscape scale, we examined genetic structuring within one of these populations, growing on an island of ca 5 km(2). As expected, we found the majority of genetic variation in Q. robur to occur within populations. Nonetheless, differentiation among populations was markedly high (F-ST = 0.12) compared with values reported for populations of Q. robur closer to the core of its range. At the landscape level, some spatial and temporal sub-structuring was observed, likely explained by the history of land-use on the island. Overall, Q. robur fulfils the expectation of the central-marginal hypothesis of high differentiation among marginal populations, but the notable population differentiation has most likely been influenced also by the long, ongoing fragmentation of populations. Finnish oak populations may still be adjusting to the drastic habitat changes of the past centuries. Preservation of genetic variation within the remaining stands is thus an important factor in the conservation of Q. robur at its range margin.Peer reviewe

Pathways towards a sustainable future envisioned by early-career conservation researchers

Scientists have warned decision-makers about the severe consequences of the global environmental crisis since the 1970s. Yet ecological degradation continues and little has been done to address climate change. We investigated early-career conservation researchers' (ECR) perspectives on, and prioritization of, actions furthering sustainability. We conducted a survey (n = 67) and an interactive workshop (n = 35) for ECR attendees of the 5th European Congress of Conservation Biology (2018). Building on these data and discussions, we identified ongoing and forthcoming advances in conservation science. These include increased transdisciplinarity, science communication, advocacy in conservation, and adoption of a transformation-oriented social-ecological systems approach to research. The respondents and participants had diverse perspectives on how to achieve sustainability. Reformist actions were emphasized as paving the way for more radical changes in the economic system and societal values linked to the environment and inequality. Our findings suggest that achieving sustainability requires a strategy that (1) incorporates the multiplicity of people's views, (2) places a greater value on nature, and (3) encourages systemic transformation across political, social, educational, and economic realms on multiple levels. We introduce a framework for ECRs to inspire their research and practice within conservation science to achieve real change in protecting biological diversity

Site types revisited : comparison of traditional Russian and Finnish classification systems for European Boreal forests

doi: 10.1111/avsc.12525Questions Forest classifications are tools used in research, monitoring, and management. In Finland, the Cajanderian forest site type classification is based on the composition of understorey vegetation with the assumption that it reflects in a predictable way the site's productive value. In Russia, the Sukachevian forest classification is similarly based on understorey vegetation but also accounts for tree species, soil wetness, and paludification. Here we ask whether Cajander's and Sukachev's forest types are effectively the same in terms of species composition, site productivity, and biodiversity. Location Boreal forests on mineral soils in Finland and the Russian part of Fennoscandia. Methods We use vegetation and soil survey data to compare the Cajanderian and the Sukachevian systems in terms of the understorey community composition (that is supposed to define them), soil fertility and tree productivity (that they are expected to indicate), and biodiversity (that is of interest for conservation purposes). We create and employ class prediction models to divide Russian and Finnish sites into Cajander's and Sukachev's types, respectively, based on vegetation composition. We perform cross-comparisons between the two systems by non-metric multidimensional scaling ordination and statistical tests. Results Within both systems, the site types formed similar, meaningful gradients in terms of the studied variables. Certain site types from the two systems were largely overlapping in community composition and arranged similarly along the fertility gradient and may thus be considered comparable. Conclusions The Cajanderian and the Sukachevian systems were both developed in the European boreal zone but differ in terms of the exact rules by which site types are determined. Our results show that analogous types between the systems can be identified. These findings aid in endeavours of technology and information transfer between Finnish and Russian forests for the purposes of basic or applied ecological research and forest management.Peer reviewe

Related herbivore species show similar temporal dynamics

1.Within natural communities, different taxa display different dynamics in time. Why this is the case we do not fully know. This thwarts our ability to predict changes in community structure, which is important for both the conservation of rare species in natural communities and for the prediction of pest outbreaks in agriculture. 2.Species sharing phylogeny, natural enemies and/or life‐history traits have been hypothesized to share similar temporal dynamics. We operationalized these concepts into testing whether feeding guild, voltinism, similarity in parasitoid community and/or phylogenetic relatedness explained similarities in temporal dynamics among herbivorous community members. 3.Focusing on two similar datasets from different geographical regions (Finland and Japan), we used asymmetric eigenvector maps as temporal variables to characterize species‐ and community‐level dynamics of specialist insect herbivores on oak (Quercus). We then assessed whether feeding guild, voltinism, similarity in parasitoid community and/or phylogenetic relatedness explained similarities in temporal dynamics among taxa. 4.Species‐specific temporal dynamics varied widely, ranging from directional decline or increase to more complex patterns. Phylogeny was a clear predictor of similarity in temporal dynamics at the Finnish site, whereas for the Japanese site, the data were uninformative regarding a phylogenetic imprint. Voltinism, feeding guild and parasitoid overlap explained little variation at either location. Despite the rapid temporal dynamics observed at the level of individual species, these changes did not translate into any consistent temporal changes at the community level in either Finland or Japan. 5.Overall, our findings offer no direct support for the notion that species sharing natural enemies and/or life‐history traits would be characterized by similar temporal dynamics, but reveal a strong imprint of phylogenetic relatedness. As this phylogenetic signal cannot be attributed to guild, voltinism or parasitoids, it will likely derive from shared microhabitat, microclimate, anatomy, physiology or behaviour. This has important implications for predicting insect outbreaks and for informing insect conservation. We hope that future studies will assess the generality of our findings across plant‐feeding insect communities and beyond, and establish the more precise mechanism(s) underlying the phylogenetic imprint

Pathways towards a sustainable future envisioned by early-career conservation researchers

Scientists have warned decision-makers about the severe consequences of the global environmental crisis since the 1970s. Yet ecological degradation continues and little has been done to address climate change. We investigated early-career conservation researchers' (ECR) perspectives on, and prioritization of, actions furthering sustainability. We conducted a survey (n = 67) and an interactive workshop (n = 35) for ECR attendees of the 5th European Congress of Conservation Biology (2018). Building on these data and discussions, we identified ongoing and forthcoming advances in conservation science. These include increased transdisciplinarity, science communication, advocacy in conservation, and adoption of a transformation-oriented social–ecological systems approach to research. The respondents and participants had diverse perspectives on how to achieve sustainability. Reformist actions were emphasized as paving the way for more radical changes in the economic system and societal values linked to the environment and inequality. Our findings suggest that achieving sustainability requires a strategy that (1) incorporates the multiplicity of people's views, (2) places a greater value on nature, and (3) encourages systemic transformation across political, social, educational, and economic realms on multiple levels. We introduce a framework for ECRs to inspire their research and practice within conservation science to achieve real change in protecting biological diversity.Additional co-authors: Thijs Fijen, Heather Hemmingmoore, Sara Hocevar, Liam Kendall, Jussi Lampinen, Emma-Liina Marjakangas, Jake M. Martin, Rebekah A. Oomen, Hila Segre, William Sidemo-Holm, André P. Silva, Susanna Huneide Thorbjørnsen, Miquel Torrents-Ticó, Di Zhang, Jasmin Ziemack

Maa- ja metsätalouden sekä koko maankäyttösektorin ilmastotoimenpiteillä on suuret päästövähennysmahdollisuudet

Suomen tavoitteena on olla hiilineutraali vuonna 2035. Tavoitetta ei voi saavuttaa ilman maankäyttösektorin hiilinieluja. Suomen kokonaispäästöt olivat vuonna 2019 yhteensä 53,1 Mt CO2 ekv. ja maankäyttösektorin nettonielut 14,7 Mt CO2 ekv. Hiilineutraaliustavoitteen saavuttamiseen tarvitaan kaikilta sektoreilta päästövähennyksiä tai lisänieluja. Tässä politiikkasuosituksessa esitellään ilmastopoliittisen päätöksenteon tueksi keinoja päästövähennysten saavuttamiseksi sekä arvioita maankäyttösektorin päästöjä vähentävien ja nieluja vahvistavien toimenpiteiden potentiaalisista vaikutuksista (Lehtonen ym. 2021)