# Patterns and drivers of tree fecundity in Pedunculate oak (Quercus robur) refugial populations at the species' southern range margin

E. Moracho, P. Jordano, Arndt Hampe

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E. Moracho, P. Jordano, Arndt Hampe. Patterns and drivers of tree fecundity in Pedunculate oak (Quercus robur) refugial populations at the species' southern range margin. 14. MEDECOS & 13. AEET meeting. Human driven scenarios for evolutionary and ecological changes, Jan 2017, Séville, Spain. 268 p. hal-02737294

HAL Id: hal-02737294

https://hal.inrae.fr/hal-02737294

Submitted on 2 Jun 2020

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XIV MEDECOS
&
XIII AEET meeting

Human driven scenarios for evolutionary and ecological changes

Abstract book

31st January - 4th February 2017

Seville, Spain

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XIV MEDECOS &
XIII AEET meeting

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A E E T

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ASOCIACIÓN ESPAÑOLA
DE ECOLOGÍA TERRESTRE

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Estación
Biológica
Doñana
CSIC

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EXCELENCIA
SEVERO
OCHOA

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Abstract book of the XIV MEDECOS & XIII AEET meeting,
Seville, Spain, 31st January - 4th February 2017

Issued in Open Access, under the terms of Commons attribution Non Commercial License

Doi.: 10.7818/MEDECOSandAEETCongress.2017

Editorial deadline: 20th December, 2016.

Publisher: Asociación Española de Ecología Terrestre (AEET)

C/ Tulipán s/n, 28399, Móstoles, Madrid, Spain

Layout: Imprenta Sand, S.L. Seville. Spain.
Landscape genetics: Fragmentation effects of a highway in Lepidium subulatum, a specialist gypsophile

Martín-Rodríguez, I.¹, García-Fernández, A.², Escudero, A.³

(1) Universidad Rey Juan Carlos. (2) Universidad Rey Juan Carlos. (3) Universidad Rey Juan Carlos

Correspondence e-mail: [irene.martinrod@gmail.com]

Landscape genetics studies how population genetics could be modified by landscape features, habitat loss, fragmentation and potential barriers. Fragmentation is one of the main threats to biodiversity since it might trigger genetic erosion in the affected populations by decreasing population size, modifying dispersion patterns or increasing inbreeding effects. Lineal infrastructures are one of the main causes of fragmentation, although their effect is still controversial. Gypsum ecosystems showed a patch distribution, surrounded by a matrix which gypsophiles cannot colonise and developing a natural fragmentation. For some decades, these vegetal communities have been shaped by strong anthropic pressures (e.g.: agriculture, cattle, infrastructures, etc.) which are threats to this biodiversity hotspot. In this research, we chose Lepidium subulatum as study species to evaluate the populations' genetic condition and to study the fragmentation effects caused by cereal crops and a highway with heavy traffic volume. We calculated different parameters of genetic diversity and differentiation, we tested if isolation by distance and bottlenecks would exist in the populations and we studied the genetic structure of the area. It was obtained that genetic flow existed among populations because of the species' mating system. Nevertheless, populations might be suffering the first fragmentation effects. The populations situated at different road edges showed small differences in their genetic state due to the presence of the highway, but this may have potential consequences in the future.

Patterns and drivers of tree fecundity in Pedunculate oak (Quercus robur) refugial populations at the species' southern range margin

Moracho, E.¹, Jordano, P.², Hampe, A.³

(1) Doñana Biological Station EBD-CSIC. (2) Doñana Biological Station EBD-CSIC. (3) INRA, UMR

Correspondence e-mail: [pinchtuk@gmail.com]

Low-latitudinal range margins of temperate plant species typically consist of scattered populations that persist locally in microrefugia. A better understanding of how species achieve this resistance under conditions close to their tolerance limits can provide insights about their perspectives in a future warmer climate. Yet we know little about how the refugial habitat of such populations affects their patterns of fecundity, a key component for their recruitment, long-term resilience and evolution. This study examined landscape-scale patterns of female and male fecundity in refugial populations of the widespread European forest tree Pedunculate oak (Quercus robur) from the species' southwestern range limit. These populations had previously been shown to exhibit a strong genetic structure suggestive of limited gene flow. Our aim was to identify major drivers of variation in flower and seed production among forest stands and individual trees. We surveyed a total of 159 trees from 12 stands over two years and assessed the relative importance of various tree, stand and habitat related drivers on reproductive effort and success. We detected no noteworthy effects of stand size or isolation but of individual trees' neighbourhood on reproduction. Results further suggest that populations seem to suffer little from inbreeding despite their history of long-term isolation. Our findings suggest that flowering and fruiting do at present not represent a major constraint for their regeneration and viability within the refugial environment.