Phylogeography and genetic structure of the threatened Canarian Juniperus cedrus (Cupressaceae)
Rumeu B, Vargas P, Jaén-Molina R, Nogales M, Caujapé-Castells J (2014).
Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society 175: 376-394.
We used plastid sequences (trnL, trnL-trnF, petN-psbM and trnT-trnL) to infer the phylogenetic relationships and inter-island connections of the Canarian Juniperus cedrus, and AFLP fingerprints to assess its genetic diversity patterns. Maximum Likelihood, Maximum Parsimony and Bayesian methods suggest independent colonization events for the three Macaronesian junipers and support the monophyly of J. cedrus. Plastid sequences reveal a low genetic diversity (three haplotypes) and do not provide sufficient information to resolve its temporal and geographical origin. AFLPs indicate a greater isolation in J. cedrus than in other Macaronesian trees with similar distributions and dispersal syndromes. Gran Canaria harbours the least genetically diverse population, which justifies immediate conservation actions. This island and Tenerife also show independent genetic structure, meaning that genetic exchange from other islands should be avoided in eventual reinforcements. Populations from La Palma and La Gomera show the highest genetic diversity levels and number of polymorphic AFLPs, probably because a lower incidence of felling has allowed a less dramatic influence of genetic bottlenecks. We suggest that management efforts should prioritize populations from these islands to preserve the evolutionary potential of the species, but we also stress the importance of knowledge of the evolutionary history, genetic structure and ecological interactions in conservation strategies.
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La Reserva de la Biosfera de Gran Canaria: implementando sostenibilidad a través de la participación ciudadana, la sociedad de la información, y el manejo científico de la biodiversidad
Gran Canaria Biosphere Reserve: implementing sustainability through citizenship participation, information society, and science-based biodiversity management
Caujapé-Castells J (2014)
In: Best practices of island and coastal biosphere reserves. Proceedings of the 3rd meeting of the world network of island and coastal biosphere reserves. Palawan (Philippines) 16-21 June 2014 (in press).
CASTELLANO
Con una edad estimada de 15.5 millones de años en sus zonas más antiguas, Gran Canaria es la tercera isla más vieja del archipiélago Canario, una región autónoma española de ultramar situada a apenas 100 km de la costa Oeste de África dentro de la región insular oceánica de Macaronesia, que también incluye a los archipiélagos de Azores, Madeira, Salvajes y Cabo Verde. La Reserva de la Biosfera de Gran Canaria (RBGC en adelante) fue declarada por el programa ‘Man and Biosphere’ de la UNESCO el 29 de junio de 2005. Mientras el área marina de la RBGC está dentro de su zona de transición, la parte terrestre representa el 42% del territorio insular actualmente emergido, e incluye las dos zonas núcleo: la Reserva Natural Especial de Guguy (en el medio Oeste de la isla) y la Reserva Natural Integral de Inagua (en el centro de la isla). En total, la RBGC alberga 14 Zonas de Especial Conservación (2 de ellas marinas), 6 Zonas Especiales de Protección de Aves (ZEPA), 14 Hábitats Naturales (de 168 en la Directiva Hábitat de la UE), 4 Espacios Naturales Protegidos, y 7 Ecosistemas. Además, contiene muchos enclaves de riqueza geológica única, un paisaje agrícola singular y pintoresco, y un enorme patrimonio inmaterial, especialmente en sus dimensiones de tradición oral y música. La abrupta geografía, anciana edad, y alta diversidad ecosistémica de la isla han generado dentro de la RBGC una exhuberante y genéticamente diversa flora, con unas 1308 plantas vasculares de las cuales unas 225 se reconocen como endemismos Canarios, 108 de ellos exclusivos de Gran Canaria. En el último subconjunto, 17 están críticamente amenazadas (CR), nueve amenazadas (EN) y 14 son vulnerables (VU), según los criterios de la lista roja de la IUCN. Aparte de la Reserva de la Biosfera, Gran Canaria también posee la ciudad más grande del archipiélago (Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, con 383.050 habitantes según el censo de 2013), y es un destino turístico muy popular. En consecuencia, la isla está sujeta a acusados contrastes demográficos que determinan differentes estrategias de manejo. Así, mientras la población en el área de la RBGC es de apenas 19.000 personas, la isla tiene unos 850.000 habitantes, y recibe casi 3 millones de turistas al año (estadísticas oficiales de 2013). Vemos pues que la densidad poblacional de la RBGC es 21 veces menor que la de la isla, y el número de turistas en 2013 representó más de 150 veces la población humana que vive en la GCBR. Todo ello implica que especialmente la RBGC está sujeta a presiones muy heterogéneas, y debe representar un exigente ejemplo de sostenibilidad para el resto de la isla y sus visitantes. En este capítulo, seleccionamos algunos ejemplos de actuaciones que la Consejería de Medio Ambiente y Emergencias del Cabildo grancanario está acometiendo para implementar tres objetivos básicos relacionados con el manejo sostenible de la RBGC: (1) fomentar la participación ciudadana a través de la estimulación de las economías locales en el contexto de la sociadad de la información, (2) aplicar resultados de investigación para conseguir una estrategia de manejo sostenible de la biodiversidad basada en la ciencia, y (3) diseñar una estrategia insular de educación ambiental.
ENGLISH
With an estimated age of ca. 15.5 Mya in its most ancient zones, Gran Canaria is the third oldest island in the Canarian archipelago, a Spanish overseas autonomic region that lies barely 100 km off the western coast of Africa and belongs to the East Atlantic oceanic insular region of Macaronesia, which also encompasses the archipelagos of Azores, Madeira, Selvagens and Cape Verde. The Gran Canaria Biosphere Reserve (GCBR herefrom) was declared by UNESCO’s ‘Man and Biosphere’ programme on June 29th 2005. Whilst the marine area of the Reserve is within the transition zone, the terrestrial part represents 42% of the island’s presently emerged territory, and it includes includes the two central zones: the Especial Nature Reserve of Guguy (in the mid-West of the island) and the Integral Nature Reserve of Inagua (in the center of the island). Overall, the GCBR hosts 14 Zones of Especial Conservation (2 of them marine), 6 Zones of Especial Bird Conservation (ZEPA), 14 Natural Habitats (of 168 in the EU Habitat Directive), 4 Protected Natural Spaces, and 7 Ecosystems. Furthermore, it contains many sites of unique geological richness, a singular and scenic agronomic landscape, and a huge inmaterial heritage, the most important part of which is related to oral tradition and music. The sheer geographical ruggedness, old age, and high ecosystem diversity of the island have shaped within the GCBR a lush and genetically diverse flora, consisiting of ca. 1,308 vascular plants, of which 225 are recognized as Canarian endemics, and 108 of these are exclusive of Gran Canaria. Within the latter subset, 17 are critically endangered (CR), nine endangered (EN) and 14 vulnerable (VU), according to the IUCN red list criteria. Apart from the Biosphere Reserve, Gran Canaria also hosts the largest city in the archipelago (Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, with 383,050 inhabitants according to the 2013 census), and it is a highly demanded touristic destination. Consequently, the island is subjected to striking demographic contrasts that determine different, zone-specific management strategies by the Cabildo. Hence, while the population in the area of GCBR is barely of 19K people, the island as a whole is inhabited by ca. 850K people, and it receives almost 3 million tourists per year (according to the oficial statistics for 2013). Consequently, the population density in the GCBR is 21 times lower than that in the island as a whole, and the number of tourists in 2013 represented more than 150 times the human population in the GCBR. This entails that especially the GCBR is subjected to heterogeneous pressures and it should represent a challenging showcase of sustainability for the rest of the island, and its visitors. For this contribution, we picked out several examples of actions that the Cabildo’s Consejería de Medio Ambiente y Emergencias is undertaking to implement three main targets relate to the sustainable management of the GCBR: (1) To usher citizenship participation towards the stimulation of local economies in the context of information society, (2) To apply research results to achieve an informed, science-based, and sustainable management of biodiversity, and (3) to set up an insular strategy of environmental education.
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Rubus palmensis A. Hansen (Rosaceae), nueva cita para la flora vascular del parque Nacional Garajonay en la Gomera, Islas Canarias
Marrero Rodríguez A, Naranjo Suárez J, Caujapé-Castells J (2014)
Botánica Macaronésica 28: 159-164.
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Molecular taxonomic identification in the absence of a "barcoding gap": a test with the endemic flora of the Canarian oceanic hotspot
Jaén-Molina R, Marrero-Rodríguez Á, Reyes-Betancort A, Santos-Guerra A, Naranjo-Suárez J, Caujapé-Castells J (2014)
Molecular Ecology Resources (in press, DOI: 10.1111/1755-0998.12292)
We use a comprehensive subset of Canarian angiosperms corresponding to 23 families, 35 genera and 60 Canarian endemic taxa to test whether this flora is suitable to taxonomic identification with the two proposed plant DNA barcode sequences and whether these sequences may reveal the existence of cryptic species overlooked by morphology. The rate of discrimination success between the insular congeneric samples using the rbcL+matK combination and a ‘character-based’ approach (where we use only the combination of nucleotide positions in an alignment that allows unambiguous species identification) is higher (82.29%) than that obtained with the ‘distance-based’ approach (80.20%) used by the CBOL Plant Working Group in 2009 and also when compared with tests conducted in other floras. This suggests that the molecular identification of the Canarian endemic flora can be achieved as successfully as in other floras where the incidence of radiation is not as relevant. The facts that (i) a distance-based criterion was unable to discriminate between congeneric and conspecific comparisons and (ii) only the character-based discrimination criterion resolved cases that the distance-based criterion did not, further support the use of a character discrimination approach for a more efficient DNA barcoding of floras from oceanic islands like the Canaries. Thus, a barcoding gap seems not to be necessary for the correct molecular characterization of the Canarian flora. DNA barcodes also suggest the possible existence of cryptic taxa to be further investigated by morphology and that the current taxonomic status of some of the taxa analysed may need revision.
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Development and characterization of nuclear microsatellite markers for Parolinia ornata Webb (Brassicaceae), and cross-species amplification in all species described in the Canarian endemic genus Parolinia
González-Pérez M, Caujapé-Castells J (2014)
Conservation Genetics (in press, DOI: 10.1007/s12686-014-0192-x)
We report the development of eight nuclear microsatellite loci (SSR) for Parolinia ornata Webb (Brassicaceae), an endemic species from the island of Gran Canaria (Canary Islands) that belongs to the Canarian endemic genus Parolinia. Following evaluation of 36 individuals sampled in one population, all loci showed polymorphism, and displayed 33 alleles overall. The number of alleles per locus ranged from three to eight, with an average of 4.38. This set of SSR markers can be very useful in further studies addressing the genetic managing and conservation of this endemic species, and across-taxa amplification and genotyping tests confirmed their utility in the other six species of this Canarian endemic genus, three of which are critically endangered.
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DNA barcodes successfully identified Macaronesian Lotus (Leguminosae) species within early diverged lineages of Cape Verde and mainland Africa
Ojeda Alayón D, Santos-Guerra A, Oliva-Tejera F, Jaén-Molina R, Caujapé-Castells J, Marrero-Rodríguez A, Cronk Q (2014)
AoB Plants (in press, DOI: 10.1093/aobpla/plu050)
Plant DNA barcoding currently relies in the application of a two-locus combination, matK + rbcL. Despite the universality of these two gene regions across plants, it is suspected that this combination might not have enough levels of variation to discriminate closely related species. In this study we tested theperformance of this two-locus plant barcode along with the additional plastid regions trnH-psbA, rpoC1 and rpoB and the nuclear region ITS in a group of 38 species of Lotus from the Macaronesian region. The group has radiated into the five archipelagos within this region from mid-Miocene to early Pleistocene, and thus provides both late divergent and recent radiations that have a particularly difficult challenge for barcoding. The group also has 10 species considered under different levels of conservation concern, and therefore barcoding this group has practical applications in conservation management. We found different levels of species discrimination depending of the age of the lineages. We obtained 100 % of the species identification from mainland Africa and Cape Verde when all six regions were combined. These lineages radiated more than 4.5 Mya; however, in the most recent radiations from the end of the Pliocene to the mid-Pleistocene (3.5-1.5 Mya), only 30% of the species were identified. Of the regions examined, the intergenic region trnH-psbA was the most variable and had the greatest discriminatory power (18%) of the plastid regions when analysed alone. The nrITS region was the best region when analysed alone with a discriminatory power of 26% of the species. The combination matK + rbcL identified to species level only 18% of the species and only one of the 10 endangered species. Overall, we identified 52% of the species and 30% of the endangered or threatened species within this group when all six regions were combined. Our results indicate that additional approaches to barcoding will be needed in recently evolved groups, such as the inclusion of faster evolving regions from the nuclear genome.
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Phylogenetic and morphological circumscription of the Orbilia aurantiorubra group
Quijada L, Baral HO, Jaén-Molina R, Weiss M, Caujapé-Castells J, Beltrán-Tejera E, (2014)
Phytotaxa 175: 1-18.
The phylogeny of Orbilia aurantiorubra and related species is inferred from ITS sequence data. Orbilia aurantiorubra is redefined according to vital taxonomy. Integrated analyses of molecular and morphological data, and ecological (e.g. substrate) and geographical origin suggest the existence of three new species, which are described in this paper: Orbilia xanthoguttulata from Europe, O. succulenticola from the Canary Islands, and O. jugulospora from Ethiopia (Africa) and Taiwan (Southeast Asia).
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Life history traits and patterns of diversification in oceanic archipelagos: a meta-analysis
García-Verdugo de Lucas C, Fay M, Baldwin B, Caujapé-Castells J (2014) Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society 174: 334-348.
Ecological conditions, such as high habitat diversity and the absence of competitors, have been proposed as key determinants of the patterns of speciation observed in oceanic island floras. However, the relationship between plant traits and lineage diversification has received less attention. Here, we review 120 published phylogenetic and population genetic studies of three well-studied oceanic archipelagos (Canary Islands, Galápagos and Hawai‘i) to investigate potential associations between life history characters (growth form and fruit type) and patterns of diversification. The available data suggest that the phenotypic syndrome ‘herbaceous-dry fruited’ was predominant among ancestors of species-rich lineages, although the Hawaiian flora also shows a substantial proportion of ‘woody-fleshy fruited’ ancestors. Growth form, unlike fruit type, is shown to be a labile character strongly selected for woodiness, particularly in radiating lineages. Dry fruits, although representative of diverse dispersal modes and efficacies, are generally associated with a low incidence of inter-island colonization, and the analysis of population genetic data confirms strong genetic differentiation among islands for dry fruited species of radiating lineages. In contrast, fleshy fruited species of monotypic lineages typically show widespread distributions coupled with extensive gene flow among islands, which probably impedes speciation. Our analyses suggest that fruit types associated with limited evidence of dispersal promote recurrent speciation within lineages, although particular character states related to speciation appear to be context dependent. This study reinforces the idea that plant traits associated with island colonization and population persistence are, in addition to ecological conditions, important factors in understanding the patterns of diversification on islands.
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