Influence of natural habitat fragmentation on the genetic structure of Canarian populations of <i>Juniperus turbinata</i>

• Main Authors: Jimenez, Juan F., Sánchez-Gómez, Pedro, Cánovas, Jose Luis, Hensen, Isabell, Aouissat, Miloud
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Finnish Society of Forest Science 2017-01-01
• Series: Silva Fennica
• Online Access: https://www.silvafennica.fi/article/1678

Oceanic archipelagos provide an important platform from which to evaluate the effects of isolation and fragmentation on the genetic structure of species. As a result of oceanic isolation, such species usually show lower levels of genetic diversity and higher genetic differentiation than their mainland congeners. However, this is not necessarily the case for long distance dispersal species, whose genetic structure is not strictly defined by population isolation. We assessed the level and distribution of genetic diversity among Canarian populations of in order to evaluate the influence of population isolation on its genetic structure. Using Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism markers, we analyzed molecular diversity among 175 individuals from five populations occurring across the Canary Island and three Moroccan populations. Principal Coordinate Analysis, neighbor joining clustering, AMOVA and Bayesian-based analysis were applied to examine population structure. Despite the documented habitat loss and decline in Canarian populations, Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism markers revealed levels of intra-population genetic diversity that were similar to those from mainland populations, and low levels of genetic differentiation. Bayesian analysis of population structure showed three main clusters, one comprising El Hierro population and a few individuals from several islands, a second cluster that grouped the remaining Canarian populations together, and a third cluster grouping Moroccan populations. Our results suggest that the main force driving the genetic structure of Canarian populations of is its capacity for long distance dispersal.Juniperus turbinataJ. turbinata