Low genotypic diversity and long-term ecological decline in a spatially structured seagrass population.

ABSTRACT: In isolated or declining populations, viability may be compromised further by loss of genetic diversity. Therefore, it is important to understand the relationship between long-term ecological trajectories and population genetic structure. However, opportunities to combine these types of data are rare, especially in natural systems. Using an existing panel of 15 microsatellites, we estimated allelic diversity in seagrass, Zostera marina, at five sites around the Isles of Scilly Special Area of Conservation, UK, in 2010 and compared this to 23 years of annual ecological monitoring (1996-2018). We found low diversity and long-term declines in abundance in this relatively pristine but isolated location. Inclusion of the snapshot of genotypic, but less-so genetic, diversity improved prediction

SUBMITTER: Alotaibi NM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6895181 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature