Integrating Multiple Lines of Evidence to Explore Intraspecific Variability in a Rare Endemic Alpine Plant and Implications for its Conservation

• Main Authors: Martino Adamo, Stefano Mammola, Virgile Noble, Marco Mucciarelli
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2020-09-01
• Series: Plants
• Subjects: Apennines; genetic diversity; leaf morphology; South-Western Alps; species distribution modelling; <i>Tephroseris balbisiana</i>
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/9/9/1160

We studied the ecology, distribution, and phylogeography of <i>Tephroseris balbisiana</i>, a rare plant whose range is centered to the South-Western Alps. Our aim was to assess the extent of intraspecific variability within the nominal species and the conservation status of isolated populations. We studied genetic diversity across the whole species range. We analyzed leaf traits, which are distinctive morphological characters within the <i>Tephroseris</i> genus. A clear pattern of genetic variation was found among populations of <i>T. balbisiana,</i> which clustered according to their geographic position. On the contrary, there was a strong overlap in the morphological space of individuals across the species’ range, with few peripheral populations diverging in their leaf morphology. Studying habitat suitability by means of species distribution models, we observed that <i>T. balbisiana</i> range is primarily explained by solar radiation and precipitation seasonality. Environmental requirements could explain the genetic and morphological uniformity of <i>T. balbisiana</i> in its core distribution area and justify genetic, morphological, and ecological divergences found among the isolated populations of the Apennines. Our findings emphasize the need to account for the whole diversity of a species, comprising peripheral populations, in order to better estimate its status and to prioritize areas for its conservation.