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Protected areas of Spain preserve the neutral genetic diversity of Quercus ilex L. irrespective of glacial refugia

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Abstract

Quercus ilex L. (holm oak) is a wind-pollinated, sclerophyllous tree that copes with the environmental variability of the Mediterranean climate and that displays flexible ecophysiological adaptability in relation to hydric and thermic stresses. The holm oak dominates Mediterranean woodlands on both acidic and calcareous soils and has been exposed to management (dehesas) for thousands of years. Both protected areas and glacial refugia are supposed to preserve a substantial fraction of the genetic diversity of Iberian species. Genetic diversity was examined for 68 populations sampled throughout Spain using ptDNA SNPs, ptDNA microsatellites, and primarily nuclear AFLPs. Protected populations did not significantly differ from nonprotected populations by any of the measures of levels of genetic diversity. The three-level hierarchical AMOVA indicated that a low number of protected populations harbor most of the species’ genetic diversity. In addition, we found no evidence from either ptDNA or AFLP variation to support that populations from putative glacial refugia are divergent genetic groups as expected during isolation. Outcrossing, anemophilous long-distance pollen dispersal, acorn transport by animals, tree reliance, and habitat availability in Spain probably played a primarily role in homogenizing allele frequency among populations. This result leads us to suggest that extensive gene flow has been prevalent across Spanish populations. We conclude that glacial refugia have not been essential to maintain the neutral genetic makeup of Q. ilex. Nevertheless, conservation of the holm oak in protected areas ensures protection of the species’ genetic diversity, the most widespread woodland ecosystem in Iberia and indirectly the four iconic, endangered animal species (black stork, cinereous vulture, Iberian lynx, western imperial eagle).

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank J. Arroyo, J. Bastida, J. Belliure, J. Camarero, M. Díaz, O. Fiz, P. García-Fayos, C. García Verdugo, C.M. Herrera, O. Lozoya, J. Martínez, V. Mirre, J. Pausas, F. Pulido, A. Tribsch and F. Valladares for field assistance; J. Fernández (Quantum Gis) for analytical assistance; and H. Sainz and R. Sánchez de Dios for providing the Quercus ilex distribution map layer. This research was supported by Fundación Biodiversidad through the project “Los parques nacionales españoles como reserva genética para la encina (Quercus ilex), el alcornoque (Quercus suber) y el acebuche (Olea europaea)” to PV and by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness through a Juan de la Cierva fellowship to BG.

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  1. Real Jardín Botánico, CSIC, Plaza de Murillo 2, 28014, Madrid, Spain

    Beatriz Guzmán, Emilio Cano & Pablo Vargas

  2. Plant Research Centre, School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, Faculty of Sciences, University of Adelaide, Waite Campus, PMB1, Glen Osmond, SA, 5064, Australia

    Carlos M. Rodríguez López

  3. Centre for Middle Eastern Plants, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, 20a Inverleith Row, Edinburgh, EH3 5LR, UK

    Alan Forrest

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  1. Beatriz Guzmán
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Correspondence to Beatriz Guzmán.

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Communicated by A. Kremer

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We have submitted the PAMSA SNPs/AFLPs datasets to http://dendrome.ucdavis.edu/TreeGenes database (accession number: TGDR042).

This article is part of the Topical Collection on Germplasm Diversity

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Guzmán, B., Rodríguez López, C.M., Forrest, A. et al. Protected areas of Spain preserve the neutral genetic diversity of Quercus ilex L. irrespective of glacial refugia. Tree Genetics & Genomes 11, 124 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11295-015-0950-2

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