Abstract
Seed and pollen dispersal contribute to gene flow and shape the genetic patterns of plants over fine spatial scales. We inferred fine-scale spatial genetic structure (FSGS) and estimated realized dispersal distances in Phytelephas aequatorialis, a Neotropical dioecious large-seeded palm. We aimed to explore how seed and pollen dispersal shape this genetic pattern in a focal population. For this purpose, we genotyped 138 seedlings and 99 adults with 20 newly developed microsatellite markers. We tested if rodent-mediated seed dispersal has a stronger influence than insect-mediated pollen dispersal in shaping FSGS. We also tested if pollen dispersal was influenced by the density of male palms around mother palms in order to further explore this ecological process in large-seeded plants. Rodent-mediated dispersal of these large seeds occurred mostly over short distances (mean 34.76 ± 34.06 m) while pollen dispersal distances were two times higher (mean 67.91 ± 38.29 m). The spatial extent of FSGS up to 35 m and the fact that seed dispersal did not increase the distance at which male alleles disperse suggest that spatially limited seed dispersal is the main factor shaping FSGS and contributes only marginally to gene flow within the population. Pollen dispersal distances depended on the density of male palms, decreasing when individuals show a clumped distribution and increasing when they are scattered. Our results show that limited seed dispersal mediated by rodents shapes FSGS in P. aequatorialis, while more extensive pollen dispersal accounts for a larger contribution to gene flow and may maintain high genetic diversity. Abstract in Spanish is available with online material.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 160-172 |
| Number of pages | 13 |
| Journal | Biotropica |
| Volume | 55 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 21 Nov 2022 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© 2022 Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation.
Funding
We thank Ecuador's Ministerio del Ambiente for providing the necessary permits to collect the samples (MAE-DNB-CM-2018-0082). We also thank the Ceiba Foundation for allowing us to work within the reserve Lalo Loor, and Anelio Loor, Jairo Zambrano, Andrea Pinos, and Santiago Guerra for the valuable help during field work. This research was financially supported by Ecuador's Secretaría de Educación Superior, Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación – SENESCYT (PhD scholarship to S. E.), the International Palm Society – IPS (grant to S. E.), the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador (Project Genómica de la chonta y tagua-QINV 0181-IINV529010100 to R. M.), the Independent Research Fund Denmark (9040-00136B to H. B.), and the Laboratory Mixed International BIO_INCA. We thank Ecuador's Ministerio del Ambiente for providing the necessary permits to collect the samples (MAE‐DNB‐CM‐2018‐0082). We also thank the Ceiba Foundation for allowing us to work within the reserve Lalo Loor, and Anelio Loor, Jairo Zambrano, Andrea Pinos, and Santiago Guerra for the valuable help during field work. This research was financially supported by Ecuador's – SENESCYT (PhD scholarship to S. E.), the International Palm Society – IPS (grant to S. E.), the (Project ‐QINV 0181‐IINV529010100 to R. M.), the Independent Research Fund Denmark (9040‐00136B to H. B.), and the Laboratory Mixed International BIO_INCA. Secretaría de Educación Superior, Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador Genómica de la chonta y tagua
| Funders | Funder number |
|---|---|
| International Palm Society | QINV 0181‐IINV529010100 |
| Ministerio del Ambiente | MAE-DNB-CM-2018-0082 |
| Fundación CeiBA | |
| Secretaría de Educación Superior, Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación | |
| Danmarks Frie Forskningsfond | 9040‐00136B |
Keywords
- Arecaceae
- Phytelephas aequatorialis
- W Ecuador
- genetic diversity
- microsatellite markers
- rodent dispersal