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Genetic diversity following demographic recovery in the insular endemic plant Galium catalinense subspecies acrispum

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Abstract

Galium catalinense (Rubiaceae) is a perennial shrub consisting of two subspecies endemic to California’s Channel Islands: Galium catalinense subsp. catalinense on Santa Catalina Island, and G. catalinense subsp. acrispum, a state-endangered taxon on San Clemente Island. A long history of overgrazing by introduced herbivores has contributed to population declines in G. catalinense subsp. acrispum. We surveyed 12 populations throughout the taxon’s range for genetic variation using eight polymorphic microsatellite loci to determine the genetic impact of this demographic bottleneck. At the taxon level, 65 alleles were identified with an average of 8.1 alleles per locus, although many alleles were rare; the effective number of alleles per locus averaged 2.6. Expected heterozygosity was 0.550. Individual populations had between six and eight polymorphic loci, with expected heterozygosities ranging from 0.36 to 0.60, and effective numbers of alleles ranging from 1.8 to 3.5 per locus. Populations fell into three or four genetic clusters, depending on type of analysis, which may represent refugia where the populations persisted during intense herbivory. There is little evidence of genetic bottlenecks or substantial inbreeding within populations. These findings, coupled with indications of recent migration between populations, suggest that G. catalinense subsp. acrispum is currently unlikely to be endangered by genetic factors, but small population sizes make the taxon vulnerable to future loss of genetic diversity. Management strategies based on these genetic data, population sizes, and the spatial distribution of populations are discussed.

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Acknowledgements

This research was funded by the Natural Resource Office, Staff Civil Engineer, Naval Air Station, North Island, San Diego, CA. Thanks to Jonathan Dunn and Julie Lambert for tissue collection.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, University of South Dakota, Vermillion, SD, 57069, USA

    Lynn Riley & Kaius Helenurm

  2. School of Biological Sciences, University of Northern Colorado, Greeley, CO, 80639, USA

    Mitchell E. McGlaughlin

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  1. Lynn Riley
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  2. Mitchell E. McGlaughlin
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Correspondence to Kaius Helenurm.

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Riley, L., McGlaughlin, M.E. & Helenurm, K. Genetic diversity following demographic recovery in the insular endemic plant Galium catalinense subspecies acrispum . Conserv Genet 11, 2015–2025 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10592-010-0094-8

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