Reproduction and genetic diversity of Juniperus squamata along an elevational gradient in the Hengduan Mountains

doi:10.1016/j.pld.2021.12.002

Plant Diversity ›› 2022, Vol. 44 ›› Issue (04): 369-376.DOI: 10.1016/j.pld.2021.12.002

Reproduction and genetic diversity of Juniperus squamata along an elevational gradient in the Hengduan Mountains

Tsam Ju^a, Zhi-Tong Han^a, Markus Ruhsam^b, Jia-Liang Li^a, Wen-Jing Tao^a, Sonam Tso^c, Georg Miehe^d, Kang-Shan Mao^a,c

a Key Laboratory of Bio-Resource and Eco-Environment of Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Hydraulics and Mountain River Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610065, China;
b Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, 20A Inverleith Row, Edinburgh EH3 5LR, UK;
c College of Science, Tibet University, Lhasa, Tibet 850000, China;
d Department of Geography, Philipps-Universitat Marburg, Deutschhausstraße 10, Marburg 35032, Hessen, Germany

收稿日期:2021-07-20 修回日期:2021-12-06 出版日期:2022-07-25 发布日期:2022-08-13
通讯作者: Kang-Shan Mao,E-mail:maokangshan@scu.edu.cn,maokangshan@163.com
基金资助:
We thank to Wentao Wang and Le Ren, Sichuan University, for their generous help during field research. This study was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant number: U20A2080, 31622015), Sichuan University (Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities, SCU2021D006, SCU2020D003).

Reproduction and genetic diversity of Juniperus squamata along an elevational gradient in the Hengduan Mountains

Tsam Ju^a, Zhi-Tong Han^a, Markus Ruhsam^b, Jia-Liang Li^a, Wen-Jing Tao^a, Sonam Tso^c, Georg Miehe^d, Kang-Shan Mao^a,c

a Key Laboratory of Bio-Resource and Eco-Environment of Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Hydraulics and Mountain River Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610065, China;
b Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, 20A Inverleith Row, Edinburgh EH3 5LR, UK;
c College of Science, Tibet University, Lhasa, Tibet 850000, China;
d Department of Geography, Philipps-Universitat Marburg, Deutschhausstraße 10, Marburg 35032, Hessen, Germany

Received:2021-07-20 Revised:2021-12-06 Online:2022-07-25 Published:2022-08-13
Contact: Kang-Shan Mao,E-mail:maokangshan@scu.edu.cn,maokangshan@163.com
Supported by:
We thank to Wentao Wang and Le Ren, Sichuan University, for their generous help during field research. This study was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant number: U20A2080, 31622015), Sichuan University (Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities, SCU2021D006, SCU2020D003).

摘要/Abstract

摘要： Elevation plays a crucial factor in the distribution of plants, as environmental conditions become increasingly harsh at higher elevations. Previous studies have mainly focused on the effects of large-scale elevational gradients on plants, with little attention on the impact of smaller-scale gradients. In this study we used 14 microsatellite loci to survey the genetic structure of 332 Juniperus squamata plants along elevation gradient from two sites in the Hengduan Mountains. We found that the genetic structure (single, clonal, mosaic) of J. squamata shrubs is affected by differences in elevational gradients of only 150 m. Shrubs in the mid-elevation plots rarely have a clonal or mosaic structure compared to shrubs in lower- or higher-elevation plots. Human activity can significantly affect genetic structure, as well as reproductive strategy and genetic diversity. Sub-populations at mid-elevations had the highest yield of seed cones, lower levels of asexual reproduction and higher levels of genetic diversity. This may be due to the trade-off between elevational stress and anthropogenic disturbance at mid-elevation since there is greater elevational stress at higher-elevations and greater intensity of anthropogenic disturbance at lower-elevations. Our findings provide new insights into the finer scale genetic structure of alpine shrubs, which may improve the conservation and management of shrublands, a major vegetation type on the Hengduan Mountains and the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

关键词: Fine-scale structure, Juniperus squamata, High elevation, Human disturbance

Abstract: Elevation plays a crucial factor in the distribution of plants, as environmental conditions become increasingly harsh at higher elevations. Previous studies have mainly focused on the effects of large-scale elevational gradients on plants, with little attention on the impact of smaller-scale gradients. In this study we used 14 microsatellite loci to survey the genetic structure of 332 Juniperus squamata plants along elevation gradient from two sites in the Hengduan Mountains. We found that the genetic structure (single, clonal, mosaic) of J. squamata shrubs is affected by differences in elevational gradients of only 150 m. Shrubs in the mid-elevation plots rarely have a clonal or mosaic structure compared to shrubs in lower- or higher-elevation plots. Human activity can significantly affect genetic structure, as well as reproductive strategy and genetic diversity. Sub-populations at mid-elevations had the highest yield of seed cones, lower levels of asexual reproduction and higher levels of genetic diversity. This may be due to the trade-off between elevational stress and anthropogenic disturbance at mid-elevation since there is greater elevational stress at higher-elevations and greater intensity of anthropogenic disturbance at lower-elevations. Our findings provide new insights into the finer scale genetic structure of alpine shrubs, which may improve the conservation and management of shrublands, a major vegetation type on the Hengduan Mountains and the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

Key words: Fine-scale structure, Juniperus squamata, High elevation, Human disturbance

Tsam Ju, Zhi-Tong Han, Markus Ruhsam, Jia-Liang Li, Wen-Jing Tao, Sonam Tso, Georg Miehe, Kang-Shan Mao. Reproduction and genetic diversity of Juniperus squamata along an elevational gradient in the Hengduan Mountains[J]. Plant Diversity, 2022, 44(04): 369-376.

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Reproduction and genetic diversity of Juniperus squamata along an elevational gradient in the Hengduan Mountains

Reproduction and genetic diversity of Juniperus squamata along an elevational gradient in the Hengduan Mountains

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