scholarly journals Spatial and temporal assessments of genetic structure in an endangered Garry oak ecosystem on Vancouver Island

Botany ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 96 (4) ◽  
pp. 257-265 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erin E. Catherall ◽  
Jasmine K. Janes ◽  
Caroline A. Josefsson ◽  
Jamieson C. Gorrell
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
Genetic Structure ◽  
Allelic Diversity ◽  
Vancouver Island ◽  
Deciduous Tree ◽  
Future Climate Change ◽  
Quercus Garryana ◽  
Fixation Indices ◽  
Oak Ecosystem ◽  
Species At Risk Act

Garry oak (Quercus garryana Douglas ex Hook.) is a deciduous tree whose ecosystem is listed “at risk” throughout its range in British Columbia (BC), Canada, under the Canadian Species at Risk Act. Garry oak ecosystems host the most diverse flora for coastal BC, yet they account for less than 0.3% of the province’s land coverage. Due to the loss and degradation of Garry oak habitat, many associated plant and animal species that rely on these sensitive ecosystems are endangered. Microsatellite markers were used to investigate temporal changes in fine-scale population genetic structure of 121 Garry oak trees from the Nanaimo region (Vancouver Island, BC) using diameter at breast height as a proxy for age. Overall, allelic diversity was moderate, ranging from 3.0 to 7.5 alleles per locus with a mean of 4.4 (±0.4 SE) across all loci. Global fixation indices (FST) of 0.06 and 0.09 suggest significant departures from Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium among all populations and age-classified subpopulations, respectively. We found no evidence for change in genetic diversity across generations. Our results indicate low levels of differentiation within populations and high levels of gene flow among populations, suggesting an adaptive potential for Garry oaks in response to future climate change events.

scholarly journals Insect Visitation to Wildflowers in the Endangered Garry Oak, Quercus garryana, Ecosystem of British Columbia

2005 ◽  
Vol 119 (2) ◽  
pp. 245 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. L. Parachnowitsch ◽  
E. Elle
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Quercus Garryana ◽  
Chi Squared ◽  
Insect Visitation ◽  
Introduced Honeybee ◽  
Pollinating Insects ◽  
Basic Biology ◽  
Oak Ecosystem ◽  
Plant Pollinator

The Garry Oak Ecosystem (GOE) is a fragmented and endangered ecosystem in Canada, and is currently the focus of conservation and restoration efforts in British Columbia. However, little is known about the basic biology of GOE forbs, or their relationships with pollinating insects. We monitored wildflowers and their insect visitors in 25 quadrats within a 25 × 25 metre plot, located in a fragment of the GOE near Duncan, British Columbia, for six weeks (the majority of the flowering period). Overall, 21 native and non-native forb species flowered in our quadrats during the survey, and we observed an additional six forb species flowering outside of our quadrats. Eight forbs were visited within quadrats by a total of 13 insect taxa, identified to morphospecies. Visits by eight additional morphospecies were observed outside of the quadrats. In general, visitation was low; however, most insect morphospecies were observed visiting more than one plant species, and most plant species were visited by more than one insect morphospecies, suggesting that pollination may be generalised in this community. A Chi-squared analysis indicated that insect visitation was not proportional to the relative abundance of forbs, with higher than expected visitation to Common camas (Camassia quamash), and no observed visits to 11 species, most with very small (putatively unattractive) flowers. The most frequent insect visitor was the introduced Honeybee, Apis mellifera, followed by native mason bees (Osmia spp.) and mining bees (Andrena spp.). Our observations provide baseline data for future, detailed studies that should investigate the importance of plant-pollinator mutualisms for sustainability of populations and communities in this rare ecosystem.

scholarly journals Genetic structure and dispersal patterns of the invasive psocid Liposcelis decolor (Pearman) in Australian grain storage systems

2010 ◽  
Vol 100 (5) ◽  
pp. 521-527 ◽  
Author(s):  
K.M. Mikac ◽  
N.N. FitzSimmons
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Structure ◽  
Isolation By Distance ◽  
Geographic Distance ◽  
Allelic Diversity ◽  
Mantel Test ◽  
Null Alleles ◽  
Dispersal Patterns ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Population Comparisons ◽  
Low Levels

AbstractMicrosatellite markers were used to investigate the genetic structure among invasive L. decolor populations from Australia and a single international population from Kansas, USA to determine patterns of dispersal. Six variable microsatellites displayed an average of 2.5–4.2 alleles per locus per population. Observed (HO) heterozygosity ranged from 0.12–0.65 per locus within populations; but, in 13 of 36 tests, HO was less than expected. Despite low levels of allelic diversity, genetic structure estimated as θ was significant for all pairwise comparisons between populations (θ=0.05–0.23). Due to suspected null alleles at four loci, ENA (excluding null alleles) corrected FST estimates were calculated overall and for pairwise population comparisons. The ENA-corrected FST values (0.02–0.10) revealed significant overall genetic structure, but none of the pairwise values were significantly different from zero. A Mantel test of isolation by distance indicated no relationship between genetic structure and geographic distance among all populations (r2=0.12, P=0.18) and for Australian populations only (r2=0.19, P=0.44), suggesting that IBD does not describe the pattern of gene flow among populations. This study supports a hypothesis of long distance dispersal by L. decolor at moderate to potentially high levels.

Species Listing under Canada's Species at Risk Act

2009 ◽  
Vol 23 (6) ◽  
pp. 1609-1617 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. SCOTT FINDLAY ◽  
STEWART ELGIE ◽  
BRIAN GILES ◽  
LINDA BURR
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
Species At Risk ◽  
Species At Risk Act

scholarly journals Natural Allelic Diversity, Genetic Structure and Linkage Disequilibrium Pattern in Wild Chickpea

PLoS ONE ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 9 (9) ◽  
pp. e107484 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maneesha S. Saxena ◽  
Deepak Bajaj ◽  
Alice Kujur ◽  
Shouvik Das ◽  
Saurabh Badoni ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Linkage Disequilibrium ◽  
Genetic Structure ◽  
Allelic Diversity ◽  
Linkage Disequilibrium Pattern

Intact genetic structure and high levels of genetic diversity in bottlenecked sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) populations of the Fraser River, British Columbia, Canada

2000 ◽  
Vol 57 (10) ◽  
pp. 1985-1998 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruth E Withler ◽  
Khai D Le ◽  
R John Nelson ◽  
Kristina M Miller ◽  
Terry D Beacham
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Diversity ◽  
Gene Flow ◽  
Genetic Structure ◽  
Sockeye Salmon ◽  
Oncorhynchus Nerka ◽  
Allelic Diversity ◽  
Lower Proportion ◽  
Fraser River ◽  
Rare Alleles ◽  
Genetic Bottlenecks

Analysis of six microsatellite loci in 5800 sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) from 29 Fraser River populations provided little evidence of genetic bottlenecks or mass straying in upper Fraser sockeye salmon resulting from reduced abundances following 1913-1914 rockslides in the Fraser canyon and successive decades of high exploitation. Upper Fraser populations were not characterized by a paucity of rare alleles, a sensitive indicator of populations in which effective size has been recently reduced. Heterozygosity and allelic diversity did not differ consistently between lower and upper Fraser populations. Throughout the watershed, early-migrating populations had lower allelic diversity and a lower proportion of rare alleles than did late-migrating ones. Genetic differentiation between upper and lower Fraser populations and heterogeneity among lower Fraser populations supported the suggestion that Fraser sockeye salmon are descendants of at least two postglacial "races." Variation among lakes within regions was the strongest component of genetic structure, accounting for five times the variation among populations within lakes and more than two times the variation among regions. Extensive historical transplants of eggs and juveniles apparently resulted in lit tle gene flow among regions, but three populations were reestablished or rebuilt as the result of more recent transplants.

scholarly journals Assessment of spatial genetic structure to identify populations at risk for infection of an emerging epizootic disease

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 3977-3990 ◽  
Author(s):  
William L. Miller ◽  
Cassandra M. Miller‐Butterworth ◽  
Duane R. Diefenbach ◽  
W. David Walter
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
Genetic Structure ◽  
Spatial Genetic Structure ◽  
Populations At Risk ◽  
Epizootic Disease

Genetic structure of the arboreal squirrels (Glaucomys sabrinus and Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) in the North American Black Hills

2012 ◽  
Vol 90 (9) ◽  
pp. 1191-1200 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.M. Kiesow ◽  
E.M. Monroe ◽  
H.B. Britten
Keyword(s):  
Gene Flow ◽  
Genetic Structure ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Allelic Diversity ◽  
Black Hills ◽  
Tamiasciurus Hudsonicus ◽  
Glaucomys Sabrinus ◽  
Red Squirrel ◽  
Isolated Populations ◽  
Red Squirrels

We selected two isolated mammalian populations, the Black Hills northern flying squirrel ( Glaucomys sabrinus (Shaw, 1801)) and red squirrel ( Tamiasciurus hudsonicus (Erxleben, 1777)), to elucidate their genetic structure. We trapped both squirrels from 2005 to 2007, in three regions of the Black Hills, differing in geology and vegetation, to collect ear samples for genetic analyses. Microsatellite loci (northern flying (9) and red squirrel (13)) were used to examine genetic structure. Data analyses estimated genetic variability, substructure, and gene flow. Northern flying and red squirrel populations have allelic diversity and observed heterozygosity similar to other isolated populations. Each species shows weak substructure from STRUCTURE and GENELAND analyses, suggesting squirrel movements may be inhibited by topography or unsuitable habitat. Recent gene flow estimates from BAYESASS indicate that both species experience some within population gene flow and red squirrels may be more structured than northern flying squirrels because of lower migration rates. Concordant patterns of genetic structure in northern flying and red squirrels indicate that other species’ movements in the Black Hills may be affected by topography and habitat. Because their habitat is isolated in the Black Hills, management practices and conservation measures are recommended to promote viability and survival of each species.

The effects of lead agency, nongovernmental organizations, and recovery team membership on the identification of critical habitat for species at risk: insights from the Canadian experience

2013 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 93-102 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric B. Taylor ◽  
Susan Pinkus
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
Nongovernmental Organizations ◽  
Federal Court ◽  
Species At Risk ◽  
Critical Habitat ◽  
Lead Agency ◽  
Team Members ◽  
Recovery Planning ◽  
Recovery Strategies ◽  
Species At Risk Act

Evaluation of legislation and procedures in place to help recover species at risk of extinction is an important component of conservation efforts. Despite its biological importance and key role in species protection and recovery legislation, identification of critical habitat is inconsistently applied. We analyzed data from 126 recovery strategies implemented under Canada’s nascent (2002) Species at Risk Act (SARA) to determine how lead agency, Federal Court rulings, and the proportion of independent team members influenced identification of critical habitat. Only 17% of strategies led by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans included critical habitat, compared with 63% of strategies led by Environment Canada, indicating that aquatic species at risk are much less likely to have critical habitat identified. A 50% increase in recovery strategies that identified critical habitat following precedent-setting court judgments suggests that legal action by nongovernmental organizations played a key role in the evolution of recovery policy for species at risk in Canada. The proportion of independent scientists on a recovery team was statistically unrelated to identification of critical habitat at a national scale, but case studies indicate that independent team members may play an important role in ensuring compliance and transparency during recovery planning.

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