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Assessing genetic diversity for the USA endemic carnivorous plant Pinguicula ionantha R.K. Godfrey (Lentibulariaceae)

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Abstract

Understanding patterns of genetic diversity and population structure for rare, narrowly endemic plant species, such as Pinguicula ionantha (Godfrey’s butterwort; Lentibulariaceae), informs conservation goals and can directly affect management decisions. Pinguicula ionantha is a federally listed species endemic to the Florida Panhandle in the southeastern USA. The main goal of our study was to assess patterns of genetic diversity and structure in 17 P. ionantha populations, and to determine if diversity is associated with geographic location or population characteristics. We scored 240 individuals at a total of 899 AFLP markers (893 polymorphic markers). We found no relationship between the estimated population size with either of two measures of diversity (proportion of loci polymorphic, P = 0.37; Nei’s gene diversity, P = 0.50). We also found low levels of population genetic structure; there was no clear relationship of genetic isolation by distance (P = 0.23) and only a small (but significant) proportion of genetic variation was partitioned amongst regions (2.4 %, P = 0.02) or populations (20.8 %, P < 0.001). STRUCTURE analysis found that the model with two inferred clusters (K = 2) best described the AFLP data; the dominant cluster at each site corresponded to the results from PCoA and Nei’s genetic distance analyses. The observed patterns of genetic diversity suggest that although P. ionantha populations are isolated spatially by distance and both natural and anthropogenic barriers, some gene flow occurs among them or isolation has been too recent to leave a genetic signature. The relatively low level of genetic diversity associated with this species is a concern as it may impair fitness and evolutionary capability in a changing environment. The results of this study provide the foundation for the development of management practices that will assist in the protection of this rare carnivorous plant.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the following individuals and organizations that made this project possible: Jean Mengelkoch (Illinois Natural History Survey); Michael R. Jenkins and David Morse (Florida Forest Service); Vivian Negron-Ortiz (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service); Faye Winters (U.S. Bureau of Land Management); Jim Moyers (St. Joe Company); Wendy Jones (Tyndall Air Force Base); Caroline George (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service); Dylan Shoemaker, Barry Townsend, Sandra Chafin, Lisa Duglecki, Max Prucell, Pat Prucell, Dave Peterson, Joy Peterson, and Matt Green (St. Joseph Bay State Buffer Preserve); Brittany Phillips (Apalachicola National Forest); Andres Botero (New York Botanical Garden). We also thank Mary Ashley, Janet Rizner Backs, John Wilk, Eun Sun Kim, Jason Palagi, Percy Jinga, and Vivian Negron-Ortiz for providing comments that improved the manuscript, and Danielle Ruffatto for assistance with the figures. Lastly, this project was supported by logistical and financial support from Florida Forest Service (FWS Section 6), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Agreement No: FIIAC00685), U.S. Bureau of Land Management, Eastern Illinois University, Augustana College, New York Botanical Garden, Rancho Santa Ana Botanical Garden, University of Illinois, and Illinois Natural History Survey.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Illinois Natural History Survey, 1816 South Oak Street, Champaign, IL, 61820, USA

    David N. Zaya & Brenda Molano-Flores

  2. Department of Botany, University of Wisconsin, 430 Lincoln Drive, Madison, WI, 53706, USA

    Mary Ann Feist

  3. Biology Department, Augustana College, Science Building 315, 639 38th Street, Rock Island, IL, 61201, USA

    Jason A. Koontz

  4. Biological Sciences Department, Eastern Illinois University, Life Sciences Bldg., 600 Lincoln Ave., Charleston, IL, 61920, USA

    Janice Coons

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  1. David N. Zaya
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Correspondence to Brenda Molano-Flores.

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Zaya, D.N., Molano-Flores, B., Feist, M.A. et al. Assessing genetic diversity for the USA endemic carnivorous plant Pinguicula ionantha R.K. Godfrey (Lentibulariaceae). Conserv Genet 18, 171–180 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10592-016-0891-9

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