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Diversity and genetic connectivity among populations of a threatened tree (Dalbergia nigra) in a recently fragmented landscape of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest

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Abstract

In this study we evaluated the influence of recent landscape fragmentation on the dynamics of remnant fragments from the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. This biome is one of the richest in the world and has been extensively deforested and fragmented. We sampled five populations of the threatened Dalbergia nigra, a tree endemic to the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, two located in a large reserve of continuous forest and three in fragments of different sizes and levels of disturbance. In order to assess historical changes, considering the longevity of the analyzed species, 119 adults and 116 saplings were genotyped for six microsatellite loci. Lower levels of genetic diversity were found in the most impacted fragments when compared to the most preserved population located inside the reserve, and there was significant genetic structure among the populations studied (pairwise F ST = 0.031–0.152; pairwise D EST = 0.039–0.301). However, genetic structure among saplings (F ST = 0.056; D EST = 0.231) was significantly lower than among adults (F ST = 0.088; D EST = 0.275). Estimates of contemporary gene flow based on assignment tests corroborated this result, suggesting that fragmentation led to an increase in gene flow. This connectivity among remnant fragments could mitigate the loss of genetic diversity through a metapopulation dynamic, but the high rate of habitat loss and the unknown long-term genetic effects add uncertainty. These results, taken together with the presence of private alleles in disturbed populations, highlight the importance of preserving the extant fragments.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Instituto Estadual de Florestas (IEF) and Rio Doce State Park for providing facilities and licenses for sample collection. We also thank RS Oliveira, RML Novaes and RL Brandão for field assistance; RG Moreira for assistance with data analyses; and RA McCauley and two anonymous reviewers for making constructive comments on the manuscript. This work was supported by Brazil’s Long Term Ecological Research Program/Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Tecnológico (PELD/CNPq), Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais (FAPEMIG) and Programa Nacional de Pós Doutorado/Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (PNPD/CAPES). LCR received an MSc scholarship from CAPES, RAR received a research fellowship from PNPD/CAPES and MBL received a research fellowship from CNPq.

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  1. Departamento de Biologia Geral, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, CP 486, Belo Horizonte, MG, CEP 31270-901, Brazil

    Luciana Cunha Resende & Maria Bernadete Lovato

  2. Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Faculdade de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde, Universidade Federal dos Vales do Jequitinhonha e Mucuri, Diamantina, MG, CEP 39100-000, Brazil

    Renata Acácio Ribeiro

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  1. Luciana Cunha Resende
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  3. Maria Bernadete Lovato
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Correspondence to Maria Bernadete Lovato.

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Resende, L.C., Ribeiro, R.A. & Lovato, M.B. Diversity and genetic connectivity among populations of a threatened tree (Dalbergia nigra) in a recently fragmented landscape of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. Genetica 139, 1159–1168 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10709-011-9618-5

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