70 research outputs found
Biogeographical determinants for total and endemic species richness in a continental archipelago
Why evolution matters for species conservation: perspectives from three case studies of plant metapopulations
We advocate the advantage of an evolutionary approach to conservation biology that considers evolutionary history at various levels of biological organization. We review work on three separate plant taxa, spanning from one to multiple decades, illustrating extremes in metapopulation functioning. We show how the rare endemics Centaurea corymbosa (Clape Massif, France) and Brassica insularis in Corsica (France) may be caught in an evolutionary trap: disruption of metapopulation functioning due to lack of colonization of new sites may have counterselected traits such as dispersal ability or self-compatibility, making these species particularly vulnerable to any disturbance. The third case study concerns the evolution of life history strategies in the highly diverse genus Leucadendron of the South African fynbos. There, fire disturbance and the recolonization phase after fires are so integral to the functioning of populations that recruitment of new individuals is conditioned by fire. We show how past adaptation to different fire regimes and climatic constraints make species with different life history syndromes more or less vulnerable to global changes. These different case studies suggest that management strategies should promote evolutionary potential and evolutionary processes to better protect extant biodiversity and biodiversification
Habitat specificity of a threatened and endemic cliff-dwelling halophyte
Research ArticleCoastal areas and other saline environments are major contributors to regional and global biodiversity
patterns. In these environments, rapidly changing gradients require highly specialized plants like halophytes.
In European coastal cliff-tops, rocky and sandy seashores, and saltmarshes, typical halophytes from the genus
Limonium are commonly found. Among them, the aneuploid tetraploid (2n ¼ 4x ¼ 35, 36, 37) Limonium multiflorum,
endemic to the west coast of Portugal, is an interesting case study for investigating the ecology and conservation
of a halophyte agamospermic species. Although it is listed in the IUCN red list of threatened species,
information on its population size or rarity, as well as its ecology, in some respects is still unknown. Field surveys
in the largest known population were performed (Raso cape, Portugal) in order to determine habitat requirements
and conservation status. A total of 88 quadrats were monitored, 43 of which contained at least one L. multiflorum
individual. For each sampled quadrat, four abiotic and four biotic variables as well as two spatially derived variables
were recorded. Principal component analysis and cluster analysis showed narrow habitat specificity for this species
which appeared to be intolerant to competition with invasive alien plants. We conclude that in situ conservation
in a local ‘hotspot’ of this rare and vulnerable species emerges as a priority in order to ensure that biodiversity is not los
Cytoplasmic diversity of Brassica napus L., Brassica oleracea L. and Brassica rapa L. as determined by chloroplast microsatellite markers
Charting a course for chemistry
To mark the occasion of Nature Chemistry turning 10 years old, we asked scientists working in different areas of chemistry to tell us what they thought the most exciting, interesting or challenging aspects related to the development of their main field of research will be — here is what they said
FLOWER AND COTYLEDON ASYMMETRY IN BRASSICA CRETICA: GENETIC VARIATION AND RELATIONSHIPS WITH FITNESS
- …