Abstract

The recurrence of wildfires is predicted to increase due to global climate change, result-ing in severe impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. Recurrent fires can drive plant adaptation and re-duce genetic diversity; however, the underlying population genetic processes have not been studied in detail. In thisstudy, the neutral and adaptive evolutionary effects of contrasting fire regimes were examined in the keystone treespeciesPinus halepensisMill. (Aleppo pine), a fire-adapted conifer. The genetic diversity, demographic history andspatial genetic structure were assessed at local (within-population) and regional scales for populations exposed todifferent crown fire frequencies.MethodsEight naturalP. halepensisstands were sampled in the east of the Iberian Peninsula, five of them in a re-gion exposed to frequent crown fires (HiFi) and three of them in an adjacent region with a low frequency of crownfires (LoFi). Samples were genotyped at nine neutral simple sequence repeats (SSRs) and at 251 single nucleotidepolymorphisms (SNPs) from coding regions, some of them potentially important for fire adaptation.Key ResultsFire regime had no effects on genetic diversity or demographic history. Three high-differentiationoutlier SNPs were identified between HiFi and LoFi stands, suggesting fire-related selection at the regional scale.At the local scale, fine-scale spatial genetic structure (SGS) was overall weak as expected for a wind-pollinated andwind-dispersed tree species. HiFi stands displayed a stronger SGS than LoFi stands at SNPs, which probably re-flected the simultaneous post-fire recruitment of co-dispersed related seeds. SNPs with exceptionally strong SGS, aproxy for microenvironmental selection, were only reliably identified under the HiFi regime.ConclusionsAn increasing fire frequency as predicted due to global change can promote increased SGS withstronger family structures and alter natural selection inP. halepensisand in plants with similar life history trait

Autore Pugliese

• Vendramin Giovanni Giuseppe

Tutti gli autori

• Budde K.B.; Gonzalez-Martinez S.C.; Navascues M.; Burgarella C.; Mosca E.; Lorenzo Z.; Zabal-Aguirre M.; Vendramin G.G.; Verdu M.; Pausas J.G.; Heuertz M.

Titolo volume/Rivista

Annals of botany

Anno di pubblicazione

2017

ISSN

0305-7364

ISBN

Non Disponibile

Numero di citazioni Wos

Nessuna citazione

Ultimo Aggiornamento Citazioni

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Numero di citazioni Scopus

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Ultimo Aggiornamento Citazioni

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Settori ERC

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Codici ASJC

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