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High genetic variability is preserved in relict populations of Cattleya lobata (Orchidaceae) in the Atlantic Rainforests inselbergs

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Abstract

Inselberg formations rise from the eastern Brazilian landscape like islands interspersed within a matrix of tropical vegetation. As this environment is highly threatened by recent urban expansion and the indiscriminate exploitation of natural resources, the orchid species endemic to these inselbergs have suffered drastic reductions in the sizes of their populations. To verify whether this process has been accompanied by the loss of total genetic variability and stochastic changes of the genetic structure of the remaining populations, the genetic variability and structure of all known relict Cattleya lobata populations were assessed using dominant molecular markers (ISSRs), and their genetic conservation status was defined. High genetic variability was detected (H e = 0.262; I = 0.463), with most of the variation occurring within the populations (93%), along with a weak but significant genetic structure (ΦST = 0.074; P < 0.001). Pollination by deception and long-distance seed dispersal may explain the higher variability values than those expected for impacted species with small populations. Historical factors, such as a more continuous distribution in the recent past with interconnected populations and perennial habit with long-lived individuals, can contribute to the maintenance of ancestral genotypes and a highly variable and homogeneous gene pool. These factors can reduce the possible effects of genetic drift, even in the most heavily impacted C. lobata populations in the tourist areas of Rio de Janeiro.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (MCT/CNPq Nº 482405/2009-0) and Centro de Pesquisas e Desenvolvimento Leopoldo Américo M. de Mello (CENPES/Petrobras Nº 4600202500) for financial support; Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) for a fellowship awarded to Patrícia C L Gomes; CNPq for a research grant awarded to Eric C Smidt; Elaine L P Nunes for technical support; the Projeto CORES—Conservação das Orquídeas em Risco de Extinção team; and the Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade (ICMBio) for collecting licenses; and two anonymous reviewers for contributions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratório de Sistemática e Ecologia Molecular de Plantas, Setor de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Av. Cel. Francisco H. dos Santos, 210, Jardim das Américas, Curitiba, PR, CEP 81531-980, Brazil

    Patrícia Cristina Lemos Gomes, Eric de Camargo Smidt & Viviane Silva-Pereira

  2. Diretoria de Pesquisas Científicas, Instituto de Pesquisa Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, 22460-030, Brazil

    Claudio Nicoletti de Fraga

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  1. Patrícia Cristina Lemos Gomes
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  2. Eric de Camargo Smidt
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  3. Claudio Nicoletti de Fraga
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  4. Viviane Silva-Pereira
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Correspondence to Viviane Silva-Pereira.

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Gomes, P.C.L., de Camargo Smidt, E., de Fraga, C.N. et al. High genetic variability is preserved in relict populations of Cattleya lobata (Orchidaceae) in the Atlantic Rainforests inselbergs. Braz. J. Bot 41, 185–195 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40415-017-0422-z

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