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Drivers of genetic diversity in plant populations differ between semi-natural grassland types

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Abstract

The conservation of genetic diversity requires a deeper understanding of the processes shaping intraspecific variation. In recent decades, numerous studies identified various drivers of genetic diversity. However, the interpretation of these drivers remains inconsistent, since their strength and balance may differ between species and habitats. Therefore, we analyzed potential drivers of genetic diversity in a comparative multispecies approach across different semi-natural grassland types. We used molecular markers to detect genetic diversity in populations of nine typical grassland plant species from dry calcareous grasslands, mesic hay meadows, and wet litter meadows in Central Europe. Additionally, we collected data on potential drivers of genetic diversity, which were assigned to four categories describing habitat age, landscape structure, habitat quality, and population size. Subsequently, we applied multiple linear regression models and variation partitioning analyses to identify the most influential drivers of genetic diversity in semi-natural grassland plant populations. Our study revealed clear differences in drivers of genetic diversity between grassland types. In calcareous grasslands genetic diversity depended almost completely on landscape structure. However, we identified habitat age and habitat quality as additional drivers in hay meadows, while population size was another driver in litter meadows. The strong variation in drivers of genetic diversity in hay and litter meadows can be ascribed to higher levels of environmental variation among these sites and due to their more recent origin than calcareous grassland sites. We conclude that different drivers of genetic diversity must be considered to maintain high levels of intraspecific diversity in different grassland types.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank Petra Schitko for assistance in the lab and Sven Rubanschi for support in statistical approaches. We further thank Cornelia Straubinger, Lina Begemann, and Eva Wagner for providing the vegetation cover data. The study was financially supported by the Federal Agency for Agriculture and Food (BLE). The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.

Funding

This study was funded by the “Bundesanstalt für Landwirtschaft und Ernährung“, Grant Number: 2813BM001.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Plant Sciences, Department of Ecology and Conservation Biology, University of Regensburg, D-93053, Regensburg, Germany

    Christoph Reisch, Theresa A. Lehmair, Ellen Pagel & Peter Poschlod

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  1. Christoph Reisch
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  2. Theresa A. Lehmair
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  3. Ellen Pagel
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  4. Peter Poschlod
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Contributions

CR and PP conceived and designed the study. EP and TAL collected the data. TAL performed the data analyses. CR, TAL, EP, and PP wrote the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Christoph Reisch.

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Communicated by Daniel Sanchez Mata.

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Reisch, C., Lehmair, T.A., Pagel, E. et al. Drivers of genetic diversity in plant populations differ between semi-natural grassland types. Biodivers Conserv 30, 3549–3561 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-021-02260-1

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