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Species–genetic diversity correlations through the lens of spatial autocorrelation: insights from high Andean wetlands

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Abstract

Context

Understanding species–genetic diversity relationships is key to foster holistic conservation approaches aimed at preserving biodiversity across multiple dimensions. Despite the facts that genetic and species diversity are likely to be spatially structured and that species–genetic diversity correlations (SGDCs) reveal coincident spatial patterns between the two diversity levels, spatial autocorrelation has been largely overlooked.

Objectives

We assessed the benefits of investigating species–genetic diversity relationships through a spatial framework using high Andean wetlands from Chile as a case study system.

Methods

Genetic diversity was estimated using amplified fragment length polymorphism markers for five abundant species and species diversity was assessed as taxonomic richness for two communities (plants and benthic macroinvertebrates). We tested SGDCs using Moran Spectral Randomizations (MSR), and used a causal modelling procedure to elucidate relationships between species and genetic diversity and their coincident spatial structures.

Results

While traditional correlation tests detected significant SGDCs in most cases (i.e. nine), only three species–genetic relationships reached significance or borderline significance with the MSR approach. In all these cases, genetic and species diversity displayed similar spatial autocorrelation patterns. The causal modelling analyses suggested direct effects of genetic diversity on plant richness for species involved in nutrient cycling.

Conclusions

Our study provides new perspectives on species–genetic diversity relationships in high Andean wetlands. In addition, it demonstrates the usefulness of causal modelling approaches and the importance of incorporating spatial information to advance understanding of the processes driving both species and genetic diversity, as well as their interactions.

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Data availability

Raw data of the AFLP genotypes (i.e. band presence and absence) for each of the five species are available at https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.4vr37. Benthic macroinvertebrate data are reported in Table S1 and plant community data can be found in Dryad at https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.3p1tj06.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Craig Weideman for revising the English of the manuscript. La Junta de Vigilancia del Elqui, la Comunidad Agrícola los Huascoaltinos, La Sociedad de Parceleros de Coiron, La Sociedad de Parceleros de San Agustın, La Sociedad de Parceleros Hacienda Illapel, la Hacienda Tulahuen Oriente, la Hacienda El Maiten de Pedregal and la Hacienda El Bosque kindly gave access to private wetlands. E. Álvarez, R. Osorio, G. Arancio, C. Verdugo, M. Rivera, L. Cifuentes, R. Hereme and A. Troncoso participated in fieldwork or data production. We also thank two anonymous reviewers for insightful comments and discussions on previous versions of the manuscript. This work was financed by the Dirección de Investigación y Desarrollo de la Universidad de La Serena (DIDULS), DIDULS Regular PR192126.

Funding

This work was financed by the Dirección de Investigación y Desarrollo de la Universidad de La Serena (DIDULS), DIDULS Regular PR192126.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de La Serena, Av. Raúl Bitrán, 1305, La Serena, Chile

    Angéline Bertin & Adriana Lozada

  2. Instituto de Investigación Multidisciplinario en Ciencia y Tecnología, Universidad de La Serena, La Serena, Chile

    Nicolas Gouin

  3. Centro de Estudios Avanzados en Zonas Áridas (CEAZA), Raúl Bitrán, 1305, La Serena, Chile

    Nicolas Gouin

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  1. Angéline Bertin
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AB conceived the study; AB and AL analysed the data; AB led the writing of the manuscript and wrote the first draft of the manuscript. NG and AB revised the first draft and all authors contributed to revisions of the final draft and gave final approval for publication.

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Correspondence to Angéline Bertin.

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Bertin, A., Lozada, A. & Gouin, N. Species–genetic diversity correlations through the lens of spatial autocorrelation: insights from high Andean wetlands. Landsc Ecol 37, 2399–2412 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-022-01480-2

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